Handling It
by liketotescray
Summary: Rather than deny her affection for Beast Boy, Raven accepts it gracefully and quietly. After all, she's accustomed to suppressing her emotions. And it's really only a small crush - she can handle it. It's not like he feels the same way. BBRae
1. Feelings

I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

She was use to suppressing her emotions. It was completely normal for her; a second nature, even. She knew what would happen if she expressed herself freely.

She also knew what would happen if she denied her feelings.

So when it first started - that little spark of affection - she decided to let it happen. It was after he had been into her mind and solidified their friendship. It was after she found out he really _did_ care. She liked that feeling - being cared for. It was warm and comforting, and she felt like she could literally pull the emotion from the air and wrap it around herself like a warm, soft blanket. A _green _blanket, naturally.

But she knew she couldn't _pursue _these new feelings. Accepting them and acting on them were two entirely different concepts, and the latter would most definitely end up messy. So she just let herself feel the affection; allowed herself to cocoon in the warmth of his friendship, and maybe pretend he felt the same.

It was remarkably simple.

It was no different from holding back her smile or reigning in her rage; it wasn't hard to keep her affection in check. And because of that, it didn't really affect her. Nobody knew of her little crush, and she planned on keeping it that way. Because it was less complicated to go on as if nothing changed between them, rather than dredge up her _feelings _and screw up their friendship.

She felt a small smile tug at her lips as she hovered delicately over her bed. She liked having a friendship with him. It was simple - no strings attached. She didn't have to do anything different, because he was the one who constantly kept up with it. His jokes were becoming cornier than usual as he vainly attempted to get her to laugh, and she liked his determination. It made her feel special.

Even though she wasn't supposed to feel _anything. _

Her smile widened at the sound of someone knocking on her door. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the dim lighting of her bedroom. He always told her she should consider redecorating, but she liked her room as it was. Creepy.

She let herself land gracefully on her soft bed, taking her time to stretch her back as the knocking became louder. He was getting impatient. She liked the fact that he was eager to see her - even if it was only to tell her dinner was ready.

"_Rae!_" he exclaimed from the other side of the door, clearly frustrated.

She sighed as she pulled herself off of her bed and stepped soundlessly to her door. With years of practice, her smile slipped off of her face and she congratulated herself on her stoic demeanor.

Sliding her door open, she felt her stomach flutter at the sight of him, even though his usual grin was replaced by a stubborn frown.

"Took you long enough," he muttered. She could see him discreetly look past her, making sure she was alone in her room.

She felt a warm feeling course through her at his protectiveness - after the Malchior incident, he had made it his own personal mission to protect her from heartbreak. He even went to the extent of flipping through all of her books to assure himself that there were no deceitful dragons lurking within the pages.

"I was meditating," she replied in her signature monotone.

He gave her a skeptical look, his green eyes burning into hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. She knew it wasn't anything to swoon over - he felt everything intensely; even friendships.

His eyes slowly lost their emerald fire and returned to their normal, grass-green color. She ignored the pleasant tightening of her chest as his face was slowly consumed by his trademark, toothy grin.

"Dinner's ready!" he announced cheerfully. She knew he had no reason to tell her this, since she was obviously aware of the tower's schedule. Dinner was always at six pm, unless an alert caused a delay. Their leader liked his schedules almost as much as he liked training. Or crime-fighting. Or shamelessly staring at their resident alien.

But back to the point, her teammate made a habit of reminding her to come to dinner. She liked to pretend it was because he wanted to spend time with her; she even knew that it was likely his reason, but only because they were friends.

Regardless of her merriment, she rolled her eyes in exasperation - and honestly, out of habit. Just because she wasn't denying her affection didn't mean he suddenly became less annoying.

"I never would have guessed," she drawled sarcastically as she stepped out of her room.

She watched as his eyes quickly looked her over, lingering slightly. Even though he only saw her as a friend, she could tell he liked _looking _at her. And that was also a nice feeling she wasn't supposed to feel.

She started down the hall silently, rejoicing in the fact that he jogged beside slightly to catch up with her. He always had to walked beside her. She liked that.

"Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Why?"

Beast Boy could hardly hold back a giggle as he choked out his answer. "To get to the bottom!"

A small smile tugged at Raven's lips, but it disappeared before her green companion could notice.

"Awe, come on, Rae!" he whined as they turned the corner. "You have to admit that one was funny!"

Raven gave him a sideways glance. "I have to do no such thing," she deadpanned, her eyes darting back in front of her. "And I will not admit to something that isn't true."

The changeling continued to pout as they neared the common room. The doors slide open with a hiss and the bright lighting of the room washed over the pair.

"I know you think I'm funny," he muttered under his breath as they neared the table.

The empath opted to ignore him.

"Hello, friends! I bid you both a glorious evening!"

Raven gave her fellow female titan a tight smile. Starfire was another teammate who felt everything so strongly. The empath envied that about her.

"Back at ya, Star," Beast Boy mumbled halfheartedly as he took his seat at the table.

Raven followed his example, sitting down in her usual spot beside the changeling.

"I made lasagna!" the robotic titan announced smugly, setting the still-steaming dish in the center of the table.

Again, the green boy beside her mumbled something under his breath, though she wasn't sure if it was a complaint of the lack of tofu in the meal, or if he was still pouting about her not laughing.

Obviously, she preferred to think it was the latter.

"Don't worry, B!" Cyborg smirked, also noticing the shape-shifter's displeasure. "I made a salad!"

Raven gave the bowl of limp lettuce in front of her green teammate an apprehensive look.

"Wow, Cy - way to spoil me," he replied sarcastically.

The half-robot snorted in amusement. "Do my sensors detect sarcasm? Wow, Rae's really rubbing off on you, huh?" he teased, a somewhat knowing look on his face.

Raven felt a spark of hope ignite inside her, before reason squashed it down. Hope was a special feeling, reserved specifically for defeating inter-dimensional demons.

Regardless, she spared a quick glance at the green teen beside her, who had the faintest trace of a blush on his cheeks.

Again, she shook away her hope. She was an _empath; _if Beast Boy felt anything besides friendship for her, she'd know right away - hell, she'd probably suffocate from his emotions, since he always felt so intensely.

She redirected her gaze to the clock above the common room doors, three ticks away from six o'clock.

Three.

Two.

One.

Right on cue, the doors swished open, and their determined leader strode in.

Habitually, Raven glanced at Starfire, whose face seemed to split open with an inhumanly large smile.

"Boyfriend Robin!" she greeted in a sickeningly sweet voice, as if she hadn't seen him fifteen minutes ago during their "private training session". Ever since the team's trip to Tokyo, the power couple had become nearly inseparable, though the boy wonder attempted to keep their relationship on the down-low.

But being an empath graced Raven with the unfortunate knowledge of what their little training sessions _really_ consisted of. Naturally, though, she didn't let on to the fact that she knew the only muscle the two teens worked out happened to be their tongues.

"She's acting like she hasn't seen him in days," Beast Boy whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder slightly at the sensation of his breath on her skin.

Cursing herself for _feeling, _Raven gave the changeling her signature glare. "Personal space, _Beast Boy,_" she seethed.

Feeling slightly proud of her excellent acting abilities, she watched triumphantly as a sheepish grin sprouted on the green teen's face.

"Sorry, Rae," he replied with a shrug as he leaned away.

Narrowing her eyes further, she continued to bask in the embarrassment radiating off of him. "It's Ra_ven,_" she hissed.

Even though she actually _liked_ it when he called her Rae, but she couldn't let him know that.

She knew this little crush would soon fade, but until then, she was perfectly content with handling it.

* * *

So this little story has been floating in my head for a while now, and I decided to damn it all to hell and actually type it out. So now I'm writing three stories!

In all seriousness though, I wanted to try something different, since my other stories have BB falling for Raven first, rather than the other way around. But this couple is so adorably versatile that I felt it could be believable either way - especially if you read between the lines in the show like a crazy BBRae shipper who may possible see things that aren't really there (who am I kidding, of _course _they're there)!_  
_

Anywhoo, I am completely and utterly blocked with The After Party, so I am so sorry if you're waiting for an update! I haven't given up - I promise!

I hope that maybe you can enjoy this new get-together story until I figure out what to do? :)


	2. Obviously

.snatiT neeT eht nwo t'nod I

* * *

Like any good actress, she played the part of annoyed roommate flawlessly. Nobody had the slightest indication that she felt anything more than tolerance for the green teen. Her secret was safe.

Just how she liked it.

Living with the titans proved that privacy was a virtue that needed to be guarded - nothing was safe from the boy wonder's inquisitive eyes or the alien's soothing voice of reason. Raven even found that the changeling himself had almost mastered the skill of getting her to open up.

The only one who _didn't _push her boundaries was the resident half-robot.

Cyborg was like an older brother, and Raven didn't feel the need to _hide _anything from him. He was obviously as clueless as the others when it came to her affection for the green teen, but she didn't have to put on a mask with him. He had also been into her mind, and was a witness to the start of her and Beast Boy's friendship. Though he didn't know what _else_ had started.

Raven soundlessly floated over her older brother's workbench as he slaved away under his "baby", no doubt installing upgrades that only he would appreciate.

"...but she acts like it's all _my _fault, when she _knows _what the business is like. So excuse me if I have to cancel a date here and there to _save the world,_" Cyborg grumbled angrily. As expected, the robotic titan's charming personality made him a winner with the ladies, and since arriving back from Tokyo, he had his fair share of dates - most of them with a certain Titans East leader.

In all honesty, all of the titans were becoming _very _sought after. It had been a few years since they had formed their little team, and it showed.

Raven was now the shortest, which a certain green teen liked to remind her of. She hadn't really developed much anywhere else, since she was an early bloomer in the first place. Actually, besides Cyborg, she had probably changed the least out of all of them - only the thinning of her face gave away the fact that time had passed.

Starfire's hair grew longer and her skirt grew shorter as her height grew two inches taller. It seemed as if she got more and more beautiful everyday - another thing Raven felt envious of, though she never spoke those thoughts out loud. _Feeling _jealous wasn't allowed.

Robin had also grown quite a bit, and was now the same height as his girlfriend, which he felt was a personal accomplishment. Boys and their egos - Raven would never understand.

Beast Boy was an entirely different story though. He hadn't grown much, but was now a good three inches taller than Raven, though his height fluctuated an inch or so depending on how long he stayed in his animal form. Raven couldn't decide if she preferred him taller or not.

Another thing that changed was his new-found strength. He was in no way as muscular as Robin, who would pride himself on his extra hours spent in the gym, but the changeling was no longer the scrawny little fourteen year old from when they first met.

Not to say he didn't still _act _like a fourteen year old. His maturity level was almost as unstable as his genetic code. Raven sometimes found herself wanting to strangle him, which was somewhat comforting and graced her with a sense of normalcy. But other times, he could be so understanding and easy to talk to, and she felt herself fall deeper into the little void of affection reserved specifically for him. It was disgusting.

And comforting.

"...and maybe if she _specified _that we were exclusive, I would have asked _her _to the charity ball next week, but _noooo_, heaven forbid I ask _Sarah_, 'cuz it's not like _she _actually _lives _in Jump!"_  
_

Raven rolled her eyes as Cyborg continued to vent to her. Honestly, Beast Boy or Starfire would probably be more helpful - she hadn't the faintest idea how to handle an angry sort-of girlfriend.

The empath hadn't even been on an actual _date. _Being the second prettiest girl on the team also granted her with the title of _ugliest_ girl on the team. And nobody - superhero or civilian - wanted to date the _ugly _one.

It was cruel and unusual punishment, but she figured she deserved it for almost ending life on earth when she triggered the apocalypse. Karma had a funny way of working.

Her only solace was the fact that she still had quite a bit of fan-boys who had no problem letting her know what they wanted to do with her. Obviously they were no respectable candidates, and she hardly considered them human. They fit better into the Neanderthal category - no offense to Gnark, who was actually quite the gentleman.

She found even more comfort in the fact that her own crush seemed to find her at least somewhat appealing in the physical sense. She knew it was nothing more than hormones on his part, but catching his lingering eyes on her during training was nothing short of an ego boost.

And the butterflies in her stomach were a nice touch.

"...asked you a question. Why are you always spacing out on me! I swear, you're as bad as BB!"

Raven's thoughts came to a sudden halt as she turned towards her adoptive brother, who was looking at her expectantly from his position on the floor.

"I'm sorry, what?" she replied in her monotone, cursing herself for not coming up with a more intelligent response.

Cyborg smirked at her dazed expression; she knew he loved catching her off guard.

"I asked if you've asked or been asked by anyone to the charity thingy next week."

Raven felt a feeling of disappointment wash over her, but she quickly pushed it away. Feelings seemed to have a knack for getting hurt.

"Are you expecting Jump City's 34th most eligible bachelorette _not _to have a date to a Jump City charity function?" she asked sarcastically from her perch above his toolbox.

The robotic titan rolled his one human eye in amusement. "I could have sworn the offers were pouring in," he mused semi-seriously.

_From the Neanderthals,_ Raven groaned internally. If only _decent _guys found her more interesting. Actually, if only _any _guy found her interesting at all - she was more than a pair of legs.

Though she _was_ quite proud of her legs.

"I think going solo is my best option," she replied with a smirk; a lonely Raven was a normal Raven, and normal didn't warrant any questions.

She watched as the humor drained from Cyborg's face; it was like he was more upset by her lack of a social life than she was. You'd think he'd be thrilled that his baby sister _wasn't _parading around town with a different Neanderthal every week.

"Why don't you ask a friend?" he suggested with a shrug. "BB hasn't got a date, either, and..."

Raven let her mind wander at the prospect of having _Beast Boy _as her date. Despite the lack of maturity he possessed, she knew he would be a total gentleman. Seeing him in a suit was something she admittedly daydreamed about, and seeing him in a suit to take _her _to a ball was nothing short of a dream come true.

And she could only imagine how his hormones would react to her in a dress.

"...I'm sorry, okay! It was a stupid suggestion! Please Rae, don't do this!"

Raven blinked in confusion, before realizing her daydream was causing her to _feel, _and her feelings were causing her powers to levitate Cyborg's precious T-car.

Exhaling slowly and chanting her mantra in her head, Raven lowered it back to the garage floor, electing a sigh of relief from her robotic teammate.

"Dang Rae - I didn't realize you disliked BB so much," he laughed awkwardly, clearly mistaking her outburst for outrage.

"Beast Boy is tolerable at best," she deadpanned, unsure of what else to say. Obviously she needed to schedule in a few more hours of meditation - this "crush" was getting out of hand.

Leave it to Beast Boy to inadvertently destroy the tower.

"I need to meditate," she announced abruptly, gently landing on the floor and making her way towards the door.

Teleporting to her room would be quickest, but she didn't trust her current frazzled state. Her powers acting up meant that her feelings and emotions were getting the best of her, and that was a bad sign.

Instead, she phased through the ceiling until she found herself in the hallway leading to her and Beast Boy's rooms. Cyborg was a sick, twisted individual for designing the tower and adjoining their rooms. It's like he _wanted _her to destroy everything.

Heaving a sigh, she took the final remaining steps to her room in silence, trying to get her mind off of the green changeling...

...Who happened to be standing in front of her door, about to knock.

Raven felt her stomach flutter again, and had to work twice as hard to keep her powers in check.

He hadn't noticed her yet, which was odd. It must have meant he was too preoccupied with thinking to use his senses and detect her. The poor boy was horrible at mutitasking.

She watched in amusement as he lifted his fist to knock several times, opening and closing his mouth indecisively. Whatever he was planning to tell her, it was obviously important.

"I am very popular today," Raven mused casually, masking her amusement with indifference as he jumped a good foot in the air.

"Rae!" he exclaimed, clamping his hand over his heart as he tried to catch his breath. "Y-you scared the shit out of me!"

She wrinkled her nose in distaste at his expression. "What a lovely image," she deadpanned.

He blushed slightly at her reply, and she could feel the embarrassment ooze off of him. "I came to ask you something," he admitted sheepishly after his voice returned to its normal pitch (which was only a tad bit deeper than when they first met).

Raven arched a brow curiously - Beast Boy wanted to _ask _her something? She couldn't remember saying anything too advanced for his vocabulary at dinner, so she ruled out being his own personal dictionary. Maybe he was wondering where Cyborg was? That was the only other thing she could think of, besides him bugging her to play video games with him.

But he wouldn't dare do that at this time; it was low-tide, and his landing in the bay would be exceedingly unenjoyable.

Beast Boy obviously took her silence as permission to go on.

"Okay, well, uhm... this is awkward. But, yeah, so, I was wondering - since, you know, we're friends or whatever - but yeah, so, I just thought that since you're, you know, _you _- which is totally not a bad thing! It's a great thing - or, uhm, I-I mean - "

Raven opened her mouth to yell at him to get on with it, but the blaring of the alarm interrupted her.

She could feel a strange cocktail of embarrassment and disappointment radiate from the changeling, and an unwanted feeling of excitement poured over her. Was he about to ask her to the ball?

Her merriment had to be put on hold, though, as the shape-shifter swiftly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the common room.

Being a hero obviously came first.

* * *

Chapter two! Whaaaat. Lol

Thank you guys so so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! OMG :D

Maybe leave a few more? ;P


	3. Instincts and Urges

The Teen Titans are owned by... someone else...

* * *

He liked missions - they were a good distraction. Not that he was hard to distract.

But being on a mission meant being fully alert and focused. And being focused on saving lives and throwing baddies in jail was a nice way to spend his time, rather than dwelling on, oh, say... his pale, half-demonic teammate. And he hated dwelling on her.

Raven was truly one of his best friends. Despite her cold exterior, he had seen glimpses of how deep her friendships went. She was loyal and brave and trustworthy. He could tell her anything - well, almost anything.

But not this. Nobody knew about this.

He couldn't really control it. All of his animal instincts told him to get the hell out of dodge and away from her. She was darkness; evil.

Creepy.

At the same time, his more primal, _beastly _urges told him to protect her; keep her. _Own _her.

And that scared the hell out of him. His humanity was stuck in between these two extremes, wanting nothing more than to just be her friend. Make her smile. He could never let her know that half of him wanted her dead, and the other half... _wanted _her. It was wrong - so, so wrong on so many levels. She was his friend!

Watching her struggle with their friendship hurt him more than anything; especially since she believed _she _was the one making things complicated. And sure, her powers did put a bit of a strain on their already fragile relationship, but she wasn't completely at fault. He did his fair share of pushing and pulling. Her darkness sent half of him running away with his tail between his legs, and sometimes he'd listen to that side. Sometimes he _had _to listen to that side.

He knew he couldn't listen to his other half.

Raven was an empath - he had learned that the hard way, but they never talked about _that - _so he knew she could sense his emotions as a _human. _But his animalistic and primal feelings were safely hidden from her, and he was kind of proud of himself for doing such a good job at keeping her out of the loop.

He wasn't sure what would be worse - her knowing how much she scared him, or... how much she...

He couldn't even form the right words to express what he might have thought of her. It was a raw, angry, passionate emotion that would no doubt overwhelm her if she ever encountered it.

And he didn't even _want _to feel it.

"Titans, go!"

Those two words spoken by his leader flipped the switch from thinking-mode to saving-mode. He focused on his humanity as he shifted from one animal to another, dodging a flurry of star-bolts and an array of birdarangs as he neared his target.

Ugh, he _hated _Plasmus.

Part of him wished that Raven would just blast him with her soul-self and be done with it, but he knew that took a toll on her. And he hated seeing her so weak.

Plus, Robin had made it very clear that she were to only do that as an extreme - heaven forbid they get another alert, and Raven ends up being completely useless.

Morphing into a T-rex, he charged for the globby, brownish... glob. Of goo.

Hell, he had no idea what this thing was. All he knew was it was naaaasty.

His impact made a large hole as he ran right through it, but the nasty goo-monster reformed almost immediately.

_Ew. _

Shifting into a pterodactyl, he flew around the monster, looking for some sort of weak spot. He somehow had to knock the thing out so it'd return to its human form, but he couldn't very well come up with a plan; charging at it until it tired out was all he could think of.

So he did just that.

Dive-bombing into the glob of utter yuck was not how he planned on spending the rest of his evening. He actually had something very important to do, and this stupid, sewer-drinking blob was ruining his plans.

With a final, combined effort between Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire, they blasted the creature into unconsciousness, thus returning him to his sleeping, _human _form.

Beast Boy shifted back into his own human form as he landed beside Raven.

"You smell like a public restroom," she drawled lazily, turning her nose away from him.

The changeling gave her a sheepish grin, before he struck a note of genius.

"Why couldn't you hear the pterodactyl use the bathroom?"

The empath gave him a blank look as her lips twitched irritably. "...Why?"

"Because the 'p' is silent!" he blurted out, unable to contain his laughter.

She merely arched a brow at his joke, her lips still twitching. He could have sworn she almost smiled, but he knew better than to point it out - he rather think she _secretly _found him funny, and calling her out on her almost-smiles would only cause her to deny it.

But he knew better - he was freaking hilarious.

"I often question your maturity," she deadpanned as she turned away and headed towards the T-car.

Beast Boy groaned in frustration, knowing his current, goop-covered appearance granted him with the option of _flying _home, since there was no way in hell Cyborg would ever let him in his baby.

Heaving a sigh, he quickly morphed into a falcon and flew towards the big, T-shaped building in the distance.

* * *

"Perhaps we could watch the movie of the romance?"

A collective groan from Beast Boy and Cyborg was all the answer Starfire needed. She pouted silently as her body lowered towards the ground.

Beast Boy felt bad that they had hurt her feelings, but he _hated _romance movies. Which he had ever right to, being a guy and all.

He spared a quick glance at the pale girl beside him, who was reading her book and giving no input at all to what movie they should watch.

He leaned closer to her, his chin practically resting on her shoulder as he tried to read her book.

Oh, who was he kidding. He was trying to bug her.

And it was working!

He held back a smug grin of satisfaction as she stiffened immediately. She turned towards him slowly, and their faces were mere inches apart.

Half of him told him that he should hide now, since she was probably going to unhinge her demon jaw and swallow him whole. The other half of him told him to -

Okay, he wasn't even going to let himself entertain that thought. His _human _side finally spoke with a voice of reason, telling him to continue with his quest of annoying her. What else were friends for?

"_Personal,_" she began, the words hissing through her teeth as his nose twitched from her hot breath. "_Space._"

And cue his obnoxiously large, toothy smile that he knew she secretly adored - seriously, what girl could resist a face like his?

"Your book must be really interesting if you're about to allow Star to put in a romance flick," he mused casually as he leaned away from her.

Her eyelid twitched slightly as she snapped her book closed. "She wouldn't dare."

Beast Boy nodded in mock-defeat. Disagreeing with Starfire on movie night was one of the few times he and Raven ever agreed on something. Oh, how he was so incredibly thankful that she, too, hated romance movies - regardless of being a girl.

"I'm glad you're like one of the guys," he admitted with a grin.

Her usual stoic demeanor slipped at his words, and he caught a glimpse of... _hurt? _Did he just _hurt _her feelings?

It was gone in a second, replaced by an exaggerated eye-roll. "Gee, thanks - that's what every girl wants to hear," she replied sarcastically.

Beast Boy knew he messed up; calling a girl one of the guys was a big no-no - regardless of where they stood with their movie preferences.

"Well, I mean, _obviously _you're a girl," he blurted, gesturing to her body and earning a fierce glare. "'Cuz, y-you know, you have..." Again he trailed off, as he gave her a quick once-over. It was painfully obvious that Raven was entirely female, thanks to her leotard, which she neglected to change out of. Beast Boy couldn't even begin to understand how he made it through the throes of puberty when his teammate walked around pant-less. It really wasn't fair that even his human side was somewhat attracted to her.

"L-long hair," he finished sheepishly, giving her his trademark toothy grin, his fang poking out in what he hoped was an incredibly endearing way.

Raven continued to glare at him, though he did spot a faint pink color rising in her cheeks. He couldn't really blame her, though. Her annoying (yet devastatingly handsome) teammate had literally just (accidentally) checked her out. At least he hoped she knew it was an accident.

"My hair has been the same length since we first met, and last time I checked, it wasn't considered long," she deadpanned, thankfully ignoring his previous wandering gaze.

"It's still the second longest on the team!" he laughed, pulling on a strand gently and earning another glare. "Second to Starfire's, of course."

"I'm _always _second to Starfire," she muttered under her breath, obviously not meaning for him to hear it. But thanks to his ears (which were total chick magnets, by the way), he was able to hear what she said, as well as the annoyance in her voice. And hearing _any _emotion in Raven's voice was strange - especially if the annoyance wasn't directed at _him. _

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly. He wasn't expecting an answer, but sometimes she'd surprise him and open up a bit. And he loved getting her to open up.

Her eyes widened slightly when she realized he heard her, and she quickly shook her head and reopened her book. "Nothing," she deadpanned.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to press further, since dropping a subject was something he was notorious for _not _doing, but her head whipping back towards him stopped his voice.

"What was it that you were going to ask me earlier?"

He felt his brows knit together; what _was _he going to ask?

_Oh, yeah! _

He felt his worry dissolve as a feeling of apprehension draped over him.

_We're good enough friends, so this shouldn't be awkward, _he reasoned, looking into her amethyst eyes. He always thought it was so cool that her eyes were literally _purple. _And purple was like one of his favorite colors. _Manly_ purple, of course.

"Well, I'm seriously tired of going stag to all of these dumb charity functions, and I know you wouldn't dream of taking up an offer from one of your fan-boys, so I'm hoping maybe _we _can go... you know... _together?_" he suggested, praying that the heat in his face was _not _a blush. "A-as _friends, _of course!"

Raven arched a brow delicately, and again, her usual expressionless expression slipped for a moment, and he could have sworn it had... _softened?_

"What makes you think I haven't already taken up an offer?" she mused playfully, a small smirk present on her lips.

Beast Boy felt his chest tighten uncomfortably at the thought of one of her grubby fan-boys dancing with her.

"B-because you're too... _smart _for that?" he offered awkwardly.

One of Raven's rare smiles graced her lips, and she momentarily glanced at her hands, as if she were embarrassed - in a good way.

"Alright," she agreed, looking back into his eyes. Her slight indication of emotion disappeared as her stoic demeanor returned. "But I'm not going to dance with you."

Beast Boy let out a relieved laugh at her answer. "Shocker," he mused sarcastically, channeling his inner Raven.

* * *

BB's point of view (though it was still in third person lol - I kind of hate writing in first person)!

So I decided to tiptoe out of my comfort zone a bit and write something a little less lighthearted, since I've been wanting to do it for a while. I hope BB's inner struggles weren't like totally confusing! As a recap: his animal instincts are like "oh no, Rae-Rae demon - demon baaaad" since animals are rumored to have that little sixth-sense when it comes to the supernatural and ghosts and crap. But then his primal side (which was brought out during the Beast incident) sees Raven as _his, _which maybe explains his protectiveness? And then little old human BB just wants to be her friend. So, yeah.

Review, maybe? And if you have questions, I'll be happy to answer/clarify!


	4. A Very Short List

The Teen Titans are owned by their owners. And I am not one of them.

* * *

Beast Boy felt a strange, somewhat euphoric feeling as he got up for breakfast the next morning. Not only did he successfully get a _date _to the charity ball next week, but his date was _Raven _- and she _never _said yes to _anyone._

It wasn't that he liked her or anything, and he knew she sure as hell didn't like _him, _but the fact that she agreed to go with him (as friends, of course) made him feel on top of the world. He couldn't think of a better way to boost his ego than to have the elusive, mysterious, beautiful half-demon on his arm!

He was also pretty proud of the fact that he got to her before Aqualad did. The Atlantean had casually let it slip that he found the empath cute, and that he was considering asking her out.

Three alarms had gone off in Beast Boy's brain. The first one was his instincts, willing him to protect his aquatic friend from the darkness. The second one was his primal side, begging him to tear the throat out of his friend for even daring to look at his m-

At his other _friend _like that.

And his human side just didn't like thinking about one of his best friends dating the show-off fish-boy.

As he walked down the hall towards the common room, he felt his pride suddenly diminish. What if Raven would _want _to go on a date with fish - er, Aqualad? The Atlantean was (apparently) very handsome, and he knew the dude was a good guy. How could he be proud of maybe ruining his best friend's chance at true love?

He felt that strange tightening in his chest again at the thought of Raven dating Aqualad. He didn't like it - but only because he knew they would break up eventually and then Raven would be sad again. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let Raven be sad again.

No, Raven needed to date someone else. Someone like... Well, he wasn't sure, but definitely someone who wouldn't break her heart.

He continued attempting to think up a list of all the guys who were worthy enough to date his friend as the doors to the common room hissed opened. Right away his eyes were drawn to the half-demon on the couch, sipping her tea delicately and reading her book. A dragon-free book.

He knew he was supposed to eat first and let Raven be, but when did he ever do anything he was supposed to do? Like a magnet, he was pulled towards her and promptly hopped over the back of the couch and beside her.

"Morning Rae!"

He saw her eyelid twitch slightly as she turned the page. "Beast Boy," she greeted politely.

That just wouldn't do.

The changeling made a show of yawning obnoxiously and stretching his arms, purposefully draping his right arm over her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.

"How's your day?" he asked through his signature grin.

He felt Raven tense up as she gently removed his arm from her person.

"It has gotten significantly more... annoying," she deadpanned, straightening her back and scooting away from her green teammate. "I'm not sure why that is..."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. That's what she needed - a guy who could distinguish between her insults and her sarcastic remarks. Often they were one in the same, but he was an expert on all things Raven, and being the one she most often bantered with, he knew the difference.

With that thought, his already non-existent list got shorter - if that were even possible.

"So, Rae-Rae, do you have a type?"

His eyes widened in shock as he realized what he had just asked. He was wondering if she did, but he hadn't meant to say anything out loud. Especially wording it like _that. _

He watched from the corner of his eye as Raven gave him a bewildered look. It was odd electing any emotion other than rage from her, so he turned to face her and fully appreciate the rare occurrence.

"E-excuse me?" she asked incredulously. Flustered, confused, and stuttering? He just hit the jackpot of getting a rise out of Raven.

"Heh, uhm..." But that didn't mean he knew what to say.

Her expression slowly faded into nothing more than a blank stare and an arched eyebrow, but he could tell he still had her attention.

"I-I was just wondering," he began awkwardly, suddenly realizing how awkward he was making the already awkward conversation, "w-what you look for in a guy?"

Her other eyebrow joined the first as they journeyed further towards her hairline. "Why..?"

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he settled himself on the couch next to her. He honestly wasn't sure where to go from there, and he didn't necessarily want Raven and him to have "girl-talk".

"I don't know," he shrugged, avoiding her questioning gaze. "I guess it's just 'cuz you don't date much, and I was wondering why."

She was quiet for a moment as she shut her book. He could barely detect the slight moving of her lips, and he realized she was silently chanting her mantra. Obviously he had said something that had upset her.

"You know what - it doesn't even matter," he announced, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "Forget I asked."

She seemed content to comply as she reopened her book.

Beast Boy felt bad for pushing her to her limit so early - now he had to find another way to occupy his day. Bothering Raven was his favorite pastime, next to playing video games (which bothered Raven) and telling jokes (which also bothered Raven).

Reluctantly rising from the couch and heading towards the kitchen, he began to feel a little... curious. What _was _Raven's type? He had never really thought about it before, but all of a sudden he couldn't get it out of his head.

Did she like tall guys?

Did she like smart guys?

Did she like _guys__?_

He let out a small chuckle at that thought - considering all of the blushing she had done in front of Aqualad, it was pretty obvious which way she swung.

But still, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of guy it took to sweep the empath off her feet. Obviously someone who was understanding, since her quick infatuation with the douche-lord Malchior stemmed from that. And the little shit had also been incredibly smart, which was probably a must for her.

So he needed to find a guy that was smart, understanding, able to decipher sarcasm, and who looked like fish-boy. Damn - he was going to be looking for a while.

But that was okay - Raven was totally worth it. Seeing her smile would be a reward on its own, and if finding her a Prince Charming did the trick, then he'd be her knight in shining armor. Unless those two were the same thing - he was never good with metaphors and always fell asleep during Disney movies.

So maybe he'd be like Shrek and deliver her a prince - no, that wasn't right either. Shrek ending up getting the girl, and he wasn't trying to win Raven's heart.

Though he knew he would never, _ever _do anything to hurt her.

He opened the fridge and attempted to stifle a snort of amusement. Like she would ever date _him. _He was Beast Boy - her annoying teammate. There was no way she'd like a guy like him, though he did meet a few of her requirements.

Okay, well, they weren't necessarily _her _requirements, but he wouldn't allow her to date a guy who wasn't what he had listed.

No, he'd only allow the best for his mate.

_Team_mate.

He shook his head in frustration - he hated having all these conflicting feelings. They literally hurt his brain. And his heart. And sometimes even the back of his head when he'd think too hard and Raven would "hear" his emotions and smack him for being too "loud".

He sincerely hoped she only heard his confusion though, because sometimes he'd allow his mind to wander a little too far to one side. But not the animalistic side - screw his "instincts"; Raven was the furthest thing from evil and he knew she'd never hurt him.

_Well, _he knew she'd never _kill _him.

* * *

So it's pretty obvious that BB is totally clueless about Rae's feelings for him!

And I know I'm the author and I'm the one writing this story and all, but I'm honestly not sure if BB likes her back. What do you guys think? From what I've written so far, anyways, I feel like he's open to liking her. But is that even a thing? Haha

Anywhoo, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and followed! It's always nice to see a couple more after every update, so feel free to keep it up ;)

And sorry if my writing has seemed kinda weird lately, especially in this chapter and the latest chapter in The After Party (I finally updated! Lol). I've just been totally out of it lately lol


	5. Blackmail and Blackouts

I wasn't able to afford the rights to the Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven stared blankly at the book in front of her as she tried to discreetly lower the coffee table back onto the floor. She could hear Beast Boy rummaging around in the kitchen, laughing to himself as he made his breakfast. At noon.

She could also "hear" his confusion - obviously there was something on his mind that he was dwelling over. But Raven wouldn't ask.

She didn't want to distance herself from him, but at the moment her emotions were a little too touchy. Especially whenever _he _became a little too touchy. He had always been needlessly touching her, and at first it confused the hell out of her. Why was this green boy so adamant on invading her personal space? The monks of Azarath never touched her - her own _mother _never touched her. Yet this boy had acted like they were conjoined.

And she _liked _it.

Though not at first. No, when he first started slinging his arm over her shoulders or slipping it behind her back, she wanted to blast him into the bay. And often times she did. How else was he supposed to get the message to stop?

But soon after the Nevermore incident, she found herself _anticipating _his random physical gestures. And because she found herself _liking _them, his punishments became even more severe. She couldn't let him get the _impression_ that she liked it.

She jumped ever so slightly when the boy occupying her thoughts plopped down beside her with a plate of tofu eggs. Robin hated it when anyone ate on the couch.

"Robin hates it when you eat on the couch."

She heard him let out a snort of amusement. "Rob's not here, and the only way he'd find out is if you rat me out."

His voice was sounding muffled, as if he had -

She glanced towards him, before cringing in disgust.

"Maybe I'll keep quiet if you refrain from talking with your mouth full," she deadpanned.

He rolled his eyes fondly before swallowing down his "food".

"You know you wouldn't tell, anyways," he teased, bumping her shoulder with his.

She felt those stupid butterflies again, and prayed that she wouldn't blush. Or blow something up.

"What will you do to keep me quiet?" she bit back playfully as she directed her sights back to her book.

From the corner of her eye, she could see him rub his chin thoughtfully. He was always being cute like that.

She hated cute.

"Uhm," he started lazily as he swung his legs onto the coffee table, causing his lap to shift and a bit of his eggs to fall onto the couch, "I guess I'll think of something. Do I have a time-limit?"

Raven rolled her eyes as she noticed the eggs. "It honestly doesn't matter if I tell him or not - you just gave him plenty of physical evidence."

She watched as he followed her gaze, before groaning in frustration. "Damn it! Why does this always happen?"

"Because the couch isn't meant to be a table."

He shot her a half-hearted glare before standing up and heading towards the dining table. She watched him go from the corner of her eye, smiling slightly to herself.

She had no idea what she saw in the idiot.

* * *

Why the boy wonder loved training so much, she'd never know.

Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, or the thrill of anticipating a fight. Or maybe it just boiled down to him being a healthy, nineteen year old boy who liked to see his alien girlfriend in a sports bra. Whatever it was, he loved training.

Raven, on the other hand, despised it. Out of all of them, she relied on physical altercations the least. Sure, she knew how to throw a punch or a roundhouse kick, but pinning someone down with dark energy took a lot less effort.

She especially hated combat training, where Robin would force her to wear her uniform and cloak and fight with a teammate. It could get pretty warm under all that fabric.

Luckily, he only scheduled a mild training session today, meaning she could wear something a little cooler. She wasn't nearly as confident as Starfire, who wore a tight, hot-pink sports bra and short-shorts, but she wasn't a total prude.

Especially when she knew a certain teammate of hers had a wandering eye that often wandered towards her.

She felt pretty confident in her own outfit, which consisted of a light purple, tight-fitting tank top and a pair of black cropped leggings. She had a weird rule about showing too much skin at once.

A rule Beast Boy would most likely object to.

She was pretty sure he had no idea that she knew about his shameless staring. She made a point of ignoring him during training so that he could watch her without reservations.

It was kind of sick and twisted, and she knew in the end she would only be hurting herself by feeling that forbidden spark of hope, but she allowed it. Besides, she had to focus on her training. And _not _on her earlier conversation with him.

But why did he ask her if she had a type? Sure, it was a simple question that friends were bound to ask each other, but it was still unexpected. Why would he care?

She had detected quite a bit of embarrassment from him, but under it was the same, strong feeling of _friendship. _He obviously wasn't asking her for his own personal gain. But what did that mean?

And what would she have said?

_"I like sweet, caring, protective, green shape-shifters who I admit are hilarious?"_ Yeah, that wasn't obvious at all.

Thankfully he had dropped it before anything imploded, but that was weird on its own. Beast Boy never dropped _anything. _He was like a dog with a bone, and once he smelt potential blackmail material, he'd be relentless. But he seemed just as unwilling to talk about it as her. So why did he even ask?

She spared a quick glance to him from across the room. Bad idea.

His eyes had been glued to her as she had been doing her pre-run stretches, and she had just caught him red-handed.

Actually, he was more red-faced.

The brief exchange of eye contact had reduced him to a human-shaped Christmas ornament as he ripped his gaze from her faster than what seemed humanly possible.

Then again, only one person in that room was fully human, and it wasn't either of them.

But still, he had turned around so fast, she wouldn't be surprised if he had whiplash. She actually felt kind of bad, which she knew was totally irrational - she should have been livid that he had been checking her out like that. She should have let rage take over and rip him limb from limb for even _entertaining _the thought of checking her out.

But weirdly enough, her rage seemed flattered by his attention as well.

She knew if she didn't do anything, Beast Boy would become suspicious. He had to be punished, but she didn't have to let him know she knew he was checking her out. She could pretend that she had thought he was making fun of her mundane routine of limbering up - that she was such a loser who had to "stretch" before working out. He had teased Robin about that after catching the boy wonder doing yoga.

Yeah, she could pretend she hadn't noticed him ogling her - he was just being his own, immature self.

Making up her mind, she straightened her posture and strode towards him, practicing her annoyance internally. She was an expert at being irritated.

He glanced at her again, and she could feel the fear and embarrassment pouring off of him. Poor boy.

She crossed her arms as she neared him, opening her mouth in preparation of giving him a good verbal-lashing, when all of a sudden she felt a searing pain on the back of her head, and then the familiar feeling of lightheaded-ness. She realized subconsciously that she was passing out, and the last thing she saw was the horrified expression of her green teammate, and she felt the overwhelming feeling of raw, passionate rage.

Then everything went black.

* * *

I think it's common knowledge not to blindly walk across a training room filled with superheroes training, but obviously Rae-Rae was a little distracted, and could you blame her? She just caught her secret crush shamelessly checking her out!

Sure, maybe she wasn't going to confess her mutual attraction and kiss him passionately, but he was going to get a nice little lecture!

So this was obviously in her view again, and I'm probably going to switch back and forth randomly. But which view-point do you guys prefer? It won't really affect my story - I'm just curious lol

Leave a review?


	6. Imploding Pillows

The Teen Titans happen to have an owner who is very selfish and won't share with me.

* * *

Okay this was bad. Really bad.

First, she caught him looking. He always looked, and she _never _caught him. But this time, she did. _She saw him looking. _He had no idea what to do - he'd never dealt with this before!

He didn't even look at her on purpose! It was just a habit! He couldn't help it that she wore such tight-fitting clothes and that she chose to stretch for a _really _long time before actually getting on the treadmill. It wasn't _his _fault.

But of course she just _had _to catch him. And then she just _had _to call him out on it, but thankfully Starfire happened to toss a dumbbell at her head.

Wait. No, that was the bad thing. The _really _bad thing.

He almost let it slip; his _primal _side. He wasn't going to go full-on Beast-mode, but he let the emotions out. And surprisingly, the emotion was _fear. _Raw, powerful, _angry_ fear - but fear nonetheless.

He knew Raven could take a hit - she was a superhero for crying out loud! She had literally been to hell and back.

But seeing her eyes roll to the back of her head as her knees buckled was truly terrifying - what if she died? Again?!

He knew he was definitely overreacting, but still, he just watched his teammate drop to the floor. He hadn't even realized he moved until he was cradling her head in his hands.

"Rae?"

Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and he could feel a bit of dampness on his hand from where he was holding the back of her head.

Okay, so she was bleeding on him. That's cool. No biggie.

He was a superhero as well - he dealt with blood all the time. But not Raven's blood. Raven's blood was different.

Oh boy - now _he _was feeling a bit lightheaded.

Was the room spinning? Why was the floor getting closer?

* * *

Well, this was embarrassing.

Cyborg could hardly contain his mirth as he pretended to go over Raven's charts. She didn't have a concussion - which was good.

She also wasn't dead - which was even better.

Starfire hadn't left her side since whacking her in the back of the head. Girls were really good friends to each other - he would have just cracked up had he done that to Robin.

And at the moment, he was kind of wanting to do that to Cyborg.

Okay, so when the realization of Raven _bleeding _on him hit, he _might have _passed out for a teensy bit. It was like what, less than a minute? How long did it take to carry him from the training room to the med-lab?

No more than two minutes - he was sure of it.

Raven was starting to wake up, thankfully. Although Beast Boy did want to get out of his own bed before she realized he hadn't been the one to rescue her, and had instead followed suit and fainted.

No, _passed out. _Men don't "faint".

"What happened?"

He smiled slightly at how disoriented she was. It was cute - like a lost puppy.

"I believe you had done the outward passing, friend," Starfire admitted shamefully. "It was my fault."

Beast Boy smiled at the way Raven's brows arched in confusion - did she not remember?

"What did you do?"

The alien held back a sob as she attempted to explain. "I had been doing the training with Robin, and I had underestimated my own strength and... and..."

She couldn't finish as she began to cry. She was sitting beside Raven in a chair, and leaned her head onto the bed and sniffled. Raven awkwardly patted her on the back, and Beast Boy could tell by her furrowed brows that Starfire's sadness was overwhelming her.

"Star may have picked up the weights too eagerly and lost her grip, which caused it to fly across the room and hit ya," Cyborg explained with a smirk when it was clear Starfire wouldn't be able to finish. "Then BB over there wanted to play hero, and ended up passing out as well."

He knew his cheeks were turning red. He could feel it. Damn Cyborg.

Raven was giving him a strange look. It was a mixture of amusement and gratefulness.

"Why did you pass out?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I guess maybe I just got up too quickly to make sure you were okay," he lied.

The half-robot snorted in amusement; he obviously wasn't buying it.

Raven didn't look too convinced either, but didn't ask any questions. He liked that she could just drop things, unlike him. It was a nice balance in their friendship.

"Well, thank you for... trying to help me," she replied awkwardly, before giving the crying alien in her lap a strange look. "It's okay, Starfire. I know it was only an accident."

Starfire nodded her acknowledgement, but continued to weep.

Raven tentatively brushed her fingers against the wound on the back of her head, wincing slightly from the pain.

Beast Boy jumped up from his bed, feeling a little dizzy but ignoring it, and quickly made his way to the side of her bed.

"Does it hurt?" Stupid question.

"No, Beast Boy. It's actually quite pleasant," she drawled sarcastically, before a blueish-black aura consumed her hand as she pressed it against the wound. She then glanced across the room to their strangely silent leader, who was staring out the window intently.

"Robin?" she asked hesitantly, apparently just noticing him.

He whipped his head around to the sound of his name. "Hmm?"

She gestured to the distraught alien princess in her lap. "You maybe want to..?"

The boy wonder nodded in understanding as he came close. Beast Boy stepped back so that he could pry his girlfriend off of the empath.

"Come on, Star," he cooed - which was something Beast Boy never thought he'd hear. "Rave needs to rest."

Starfire allowed her boyfriend to pull her away from the pale girl, though her eyes were still puffy and full of unshed tears. "Yes, I believe you are correct. Please do the resting, friend."

Raven smiled weakly in reassurance. "I will, Starfire."

The orange girl smiled back, before their leader led her from the room.

Once the couple had completely left, Raven's face morphed back into its usual blank look. She attempted to get out of her bed, but Beast Boy gently pushed her back down as Cyborg shook his head.

"Uh uh, Rae - you told Star you'd rest," the half-robot reminded her. "And I think it's a good idea.

Beast Boy couldn't agree more - he had been hit in the head plenty of times, and knew that taking it easy was the best cure.

"I healed myself; I'm fine," she protested, batting away the changeling's hands. "And now I need to meditate."

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, Rae - you just passed out and bled all over me. The least you can do is listen to me and Cy."

She gave him a fierce glare, and he felt a strange panicky feeling take over him - was she remembering _why _she crossed the training room?

He really hoped that if she did, she'd do the decent thing and _not _call him out on it in front of Cyborg. His best friend already teased him enough as it was about the empath. Even though Raven had only caught him staring shamelessly today, the half-robot had taunted him about it for a while now. Apparently appreciating a girl's physique was perfect blackmail material - especially when said girl was _Raven, _and one slip of the tongue from Cyborg would send the changeling through the window. Or into another dimension.

Or both.

But again, it wasn't _his _fault Raven wore those stupid leggings. God, he hated leggings.

Well, he hated how much he _loved _them. It was hard being a guy.

He realized he was staring at her again when she promptly hit him in the face with her pillow.

"Why are you being more annoying than usual today?" she asked semi-seriously as she tried to get up again.

Ignoring his blush, he pushed her back down a little rougher. "Seriously, Rae! You need to rest!"

She pushed him back. "Knock it off, Beast Boy! I need to meditate!"

"You just passed out!"

"So did _you!_"

He was quiet for a moment as his cheeks heated in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I wasn't hurt!" he bit back, giving her a final push back down.

She glared at him as her face also went red, though he wasn't sure why. Rage seemed like the most likely reason.

"Sometimes I just - "she began angrily, before shaking her head. "Ugh, nevermind. Fine, I'll rest."

He gave her a triumphant grin, and she replied with an exaggerated eye-roll.

"Don't pretend like you don't love me," he sing-songed.

The pillow she had hit him with earlier suddenly imploded, sending feathers all over the two of them.

Beast Boy blinked in confusion, before sputtering out a few that had gotten into his mouth. "What the hell?"

He glanced over at Raven, who was staring back at him with wide eyes and a furious blush.

* * *

Uh oh... is BB going to realize what's going on? Is Raven's secret about to be exposed? Is Cyborg still in the room? Lol

Another random question! Do any of you get queasy from blood? I've personally grown up watching horror movies full of gore and violence (thank you, America) and am pretty immune to the real, less-glamorized thing (though I passed out from getting a piercing once), but the insides of bones creep me out (really weird, I know). Anywhoo, any of you guys faint at the sight of blood? Or any of you ever faint?

Leave a review!


	7. Beauty Sleep

I'm not gonna lie; I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven knew she probably looked horrified - hell, she _was. _She had let her powers slip, and now Beast Boy was going to figure everything out and -

"These... these are _real _feathers! Do you know what _happens _to those poor, innocent chickens?!"

Okay, maybe he wasn't about to figure it out. Thank god for his short attention span.

"I thought down came from geese?"

Raven felt her heart stop when she realized Cyborg was still in the room. Had _he_ picked up on anything?

"...Do you know what happens to those poor, innocent _geese?!_"

Raven rolled her eyes at the green teen's theatrics - he was always one for drama.

Cyborg scoffed incredulously. "Don't they shed the down naturally?"

Raven watched as Beast Boy opened and closed his mouth, obviously unsure of how to respond.

"Hold on - I'll google it!" And with that, he raced out of the room.

She could feel her robotic teammate's stare, and knew he was about to stick his nose in her business.

"Soooo," he drawled smugly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the counter.

Raven played dumb - a tactic she never thought she'd resort to.

"So, what?"

"You know what, Raven."

She slowly sat up in her bed, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I have no idea where the feathers come from," she mused, using her powers to gather the wayward pillow fluff.

Cyborg snorted in amusement. "So I heard B asked you to the ball," he smirked, getting right to the point.

Raven nodded her head absently. "Yes, he did."

"And I heard you said _yes._"

Again, she nodded. "Yes, I did."

Her teammate glanced around the room quickly, before leaning in closer and whispering. "Is there anything going on that I should know about?"

Raven arched her brow curiously. "No, there is nothing you should _know _about," she deadpanned. It was true - he didn't need to know anything. Also, nothing was really going on; Beast Boy asked her as a _friend. _

She could tell the half-robot wasn't satisfied with her answer, but she was _not _planning on clueing him in on her crush.

"You know BB likes you, right?"

Again, she felt the butterflies, but she quickly squashed them down. She knew he _didn't. _"As a friend, yes," she replied curtly.

Cyborg shook his head animatedly. "No, he _likes _you likes you," he clarified with another smirk.

Raven let out a sigh of amusement. "I'm an _empath, _Cyborg - I can sense his emotions towards me. And I can assure you he only feels _friendship _for me." She hoped she didn't sound as bummed out as she felt.

She watched as Cyborg's mouth gaped slightly at her logic.

"Are.. are you _sure?_" he pressed, his shock showing clearly as his human eye widened.

Raven couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, Cyborg, I'm sure." She paused for a moment, unsure of how to word her next sentence. "Besides... don't you think I'd set him straight if he _did _like me? I'd never agree to be his date and lead him on like that."

Lying wasn't her favorite thing to do, but it _was _partially true - even if he felt the same as her, she wouldn't pursue it. At least not until she had her powers completely under control.

Cyborg suddenly gave her an incredibly sympathetic look, and she felt her chest tighten at the feeling of disappointment radiating off of him.

"Rae - " he began quietly, but she quickly waved her hand dismissively.

"It's fine, Cyborg. I'm not mad at you for assuming _I _would ever be in a secret relationship with _Beast Boy,_" she mused, hoping he wasn't going to bring up what she knew he now knew.

He gave her a bewildered look, and she held back a grin at his sudden confusion.

"But - "

"Honestly, Cyborg; you're acting as if _I _were the one with the crush," she continued, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction with her acting abilities. She knew if she were to directly deny it, it would only further his suspicions. Acknowledging it and laughing it off was her only chance.

"Ducks!"

Both titans jumped slightly as Beast Boy burst back into the room.

"What?" they replied in unison.

The changeling rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Down comes from _ducks,_" he clarified, coming further into the room and sitting on the bed Raven was still occupying. "And there are different ways to get it - but some _are _slaughtered for it."

Raven made a small effort to scoot away from him, knowing that her "older brother" would be watching her reaction towards the green teen more closely. Blasting him off the bed would seem too forced, and not reacting at all would be obvious.

She rolled her eyes slightly in frustration - now she'd have to be even _more _careful around Beast Boy.

"Wait - why did the pillow explode anyway?"

Raven had never wanted to phase through the floor so badly. She spared a fleeting glance at Cyborg, who was giving her a curious look, before her eyes settled on the shape-shifter beside her.

She heaved a labored sigh. "I hate to admit it," she began, faking reluctance, "but you were right, Beast Boy. I need to rest."

She watched from the corner of her eye as her robotic teammate's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

But the green teen in front of her looked to be on the verge of doing a happy dance.

"_I _was _right?!_" he repeated with a large grin. "Did _Raven _just tell me that _I _was _right?!_"

She smacked his shoulder in what she hoped was a non-flirtatious way. "Shut up - you were _half-_right," she clarified.

His smile didn't falter, but he did gesture for her to go on with his hand.

She rolled her eyes, but complied. "I need to rest _and _meditate - though it doesn't matter which one I do first," she elaborated.

He shrugged at her explanation, before bumping his shoulder against hers. "Well, I say you rest first," he smirked, obviously happy with himself. "Your beauty sleep is important," he laughed.

She mentally patted herself on the back for controlling her powers after hearing his last statement.

"You think I need beauty sleep?" she deadpanned, feigning offense.

The look on her green teammate's face was downright comical. "W-what?" he began, clearly flustered. "N-no! That's not what I meant!"

She continued to give him an incredulous look. "Then what were you implying?"

Azar, she _loved _messing with him.

He gave Cyborg a pleading look, and Raven had to stifle a laugh as the half-robot shrugged in a "you're on your own" manner before vacating the room.

"I j-just meant," he stuttered, obviously searching for a neutral explanation, "that you _obviously _get enough beauty sleep, but a little more couldn't hurt..."

He face-palmed himself, and she knew he probably realized how bad his reasoning sounded.

"If you're calling me ugly, just spit it out," she hissed, though she was still finding the whole conversation hilarious.

"No!" he gasped, acting as if _she _had insulted _him. _"You're like the farthest thing from ugly, Rae! I was just using an expression!"

His answer was beyond satisfying, and she felt her stomach do pleasant somersaults at the fact that Beast Boy had _verbally _confirmed that he found her attractive - even if he meant it in a friendly way.

"So I'm the opposite of ugly?" she mused, hoping to maybe get a few more compliments out of him.

The changeling nodded in response, and she could feel a sense of relief wash over him. Too bad it wouldn't last long.

"So, what exactly _is _the opposite of ugly?"

Just like she expected, his relief gave way to embarrassment. She was a horrible person.

"W-what?" he squeaked. His face was turning bright red, and she could see a subtle layer of sweat glistening on his forehead.

She feigned nonchalance as she turned herself towards him more, giving him a semi-serious look. "Beast Boy," she began, her voice adopting a somewhat lecture-like tone, "you just insulted me. And regardless of whether or not you _meant _it as an insult, the fact remains that I am a girl. And girls don't take too kindly to insults."

He gulped nervously, and she had to literally pinch herself to keep a straight face. Chanting her mantra in her head, she continued, "And the only way to even _expect _forgiveness, is to compliment them."

His eyes widened in horror, and she could almost taste the mortification leaking from him.

"So," she drawled, finally allowing a small smirk to surface, "compliment me."

Beast Boy's emotions were all over the place as he gave her a humiliated look. She could feel his embarrassment, confusion, and even a hint of fear. It was obvious he didn't _want _to say anything, but she hadn't really given him a choice.

"W-why does my opinion even matter?" he questioned, obviously trying to get out of telling her what she wanted to hear - though he didn't necessarily _know_ that.

She rolled her eyes fondly. "Well, Beast Boy, it may come as a surprise to you, but I value the opinions of my friends. And I had assumed that that's what we were. _Friends._"

Saying it out loud stung a bit, though she knew that they could never be anything more. And until she got over this little crush, she wanted to get as much out of him as possible.

"_Rae,_" he droned, clearly wanting her to drop it.

She let out another weary sigh, letting her face morph into a look of disappointment as she stared at her lap. "Well, either we aren't as good of friends as I had thought, or you're too nice to call me ugly." She knew this was a low-blow, but for some reason she _needed _him to call her pretty. It was pathetic and needy, but hearing him say the words aloud would mean the world to her - especially since the only compliments she ever received were from her fan-boys and mainly consisted of various ways of saying "you're hot".

She almost jumped out of her skin as Beast Boy set his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She glanced up to meet his eyes, and cursed herself for being so affected by them; how was it possible for there to be that many shades of green?

"Raven," he began, his voice now carrying a determined tone, "you are one of my best friends."

She nodded absently, barely hearing his words as she chanted her mantra in her head.

"And you are absolutely beautiful," he finished, his voice cracking in embarrassment and his face blushing furiously.

Okay, so that answer was _way _better than what she had expected. Damn, he was making this whole "getting over him" thing a hell of a lot harder for her.

She realized that they had been awkwardly staring at each other for a while, and in a very un-Raven like manner, she attempted to lessen the tension with a joke.

"Thanks, Beast Boy - but a simple 'you're cute' would have sufficed."

He blushed even harder as his embarrassment literally filled the room. Raven knew she had definitely pushed both their boundaries too far, and she was going to be rewarded with a few days of awkwardness between them and even more hours of meditation.

But damn, it was _so _worth it.

* * *

Well that wasn't very nice of Raven! Though I totally think she was justified - here's a little tip, guys: never, _ever _call a girl ugly - or even joke about it. Even if we don't care about your opinion, it isn't nice to hear. So don't do it. Seriously. Lol

Anywhoo, so Rae-Rae got a little devious in getting a compliment out of Beast Boy - and I know I'm guilty of fishing for compliments from the guy I like, so I can relate. Is it bad? Probably, but who doesn't like being called pretty? Haha

Buuuut it also looks like she needs to watch out for Cyborg - though she might not have too much of a problem since he had already mistaken BB for being the one with a crush. But you never knoooow...

Anyways, review? :)


	8. Bad Breath

The Teen Titans have these little things called "rights", and sadly, I am not in possession of them.

* * *

Beast Boy walked down the hall quietly, still a little embarrassed from his conversation with Raven. He knew she was probably enacting her own Raven-y revenge for making her rest, but it seemed as if she genuinely wanted to be called beautiful.

Which was crazy - had nobody ever told her that before?

Like she had pointed out, they were good friends. And as a good friend, he had permission to acknowledge the fact that she was a remarkably beautiful girl. He had thought that her beauty was a known fact, but apparently she hadn't been made aware of it.

_Which was crazy. _

But, it was also another thing to add to the list; Raven's perfect match _had _to tell her she was beautiful. Otherwise Beast Boy would see to it that the guy would never see again. Because that's what good friends would do.

He made his way into the common room and unconsciously headed towards the kitchen. All of his musings over what Raven would want in a guy made him realize that right now, she'd probably just want some tea. So he dutifully heated her kettle and shuffled through her flavors. He smiled to himself when he found a box of green tea, and imagined the way Raven would roll her eyes when he presented her with it. Really though, who could resist _anything _green? It was pretty much the best color ever (besides purple - purple was pretty cool).

He pulled out a small package from the box and used his teeth to rip it open. With it right under his nose, he almost coughed at the overwhelming smell of it. Not that it was a _bad _smell; it was just so... herb-y and grassy and a little floral-y. Not unpleasant, but kind of weird to think of as a beverage.

But hey - Raven seemed to like it, so it couldn't be _that_ bad.

He quickly grabbed a random mug from the cupboard and stuck the little bag in it, and then waited a few more minutes before the kettle started to whistle. Pulling it off the stove, he carefully poured the steaming liquid into the mug, watching as it swirled into a green color. He set the kettle back down and turned off the stove.

Giving the drink an apprehensive look, he lifted it towards his nose and took a quick whiff.

It still smelt like grass.

Against his better judgement, he blew across the top of it before taking a small sip.

Not only was it scalding hot, but it tasted weirder than it had smelt. It was bitter and leafy - and that was coming from a vegetarian.

He obviously had done something wrong.

Setting it back down, he took a quick look around the kitchen, hoping something would trigger his memory. He could always smell Raven's tea on her breath, and it never smelt _grassy. _It was always kind of sweet-smelling, sort of like...

"Honey!"

"Yes, dear?"

Beast Boy let out a very unmanly squeal as he whipped around to find his robotic teammate giving him a devious smirk.

"Oh my god, why does everyone feel the need to sneak up on me!" the green teen exclaimed.

Cyborg snorted in amusement. "How is it that we all can sneak up on the guy with the heightened animal senses?" he laughed.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes as he attempted to regain his composure. "I don't know; you guys just obviously enjoy it," he muttered as he began searching for the honey. A spoonful of the sweet goo would surely make the tea drinkable.

He could feel the half-robot's eyes on him, which was strange considering one was robotic. He idly wondered how he could see out of it, but refrained from asking. Besides, he could tell that his friend had some questions as well.

"So I'm guessing you stuck your foot in your mouth," Cyborg mused casually.

Beast Boy turned to face him, giving him a bewildered look. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," his best friend smirked, looking over the sight before him, "you're making her tea, so obviously you said something that pissed her off. Like usual."

The changeling rolled his eyes and continued his quest of finding the honey. "Actually," he drawled as he opened the pantry, "Rae's not mad at all; I'm just being nice and bringing her some tea, since she _did _just get whacked in the head with a dumbbell."

Cyborg let out a surprised huff. "Huh," he sighed, making it obvious that there was something on his mind.

Beast Boy was afraid to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him. "'Huh', what?" He turned around to face him, before remembering where the honey was and quickly opening the cupboard.

"_Huh, _as in I think Raven was wrong," the half-robot mused.

Beast Boy nodded absently as he snatched the little bear-shaped bottle from the top shelf. He then turned back around and uncapped it. "Wrong about what?" he asked, squeezing a good amount of the golden goo into the mug.

Cyborg was silent for a moment, so Beast Boy took another small sip of the tea, smiling at the fact that it tasted _way _better now. It still was nowhere as refreshing as soda or a glass of soy milk, but he now understood why Raven didn't _hate _it. He turned around to face his friend, who was giving him a peculiar look.

"What?"

Cyborg smirked ever so slightly, before his brow furrowed in thought.

"Did Mento ever teach you ways to block out a psychic?"

The green teen arched a brow in confusion, setting the mug of tea behind him on the counter. "What do you mean?"

He could tell his friend was having trouble wording whatever it was he wanted to say.

"What I mean... is... did he teach you how to hide your thoughts and feelings from other psychics... or say, empaths?"

Beast Boy tilted his head in confusion. Yes, his adoptive father had _attempted _to teach him various ways to protect his mind, but he hadn't ever been good at it. The process took a _lot _of concentration, and he wasn't going to lie - he _knew _he was a little absent-minded.

"He gave me a few pointers, but I never really use them," he shrugged. "I mean, it's not like we face a lot of powerful psychics, and I don't know any empaths. Well, besides Rae."

Saying her name reminded him of her tea, which was probably now getting cold. He snatched it up quickly and started to cross the common room towards the exit.

Cyborg followed behind, obviously not finished with the conversation.

"Uhm, right. Okay, so let's say, for instance, that you _did _pick up a few tactics," the half-robot began, speaking in a hushed tone as they entered the hallway. "And one of them happened to be, say, _suppressing _the emotion - or thought - so that even _you _couldn't detect it being there. Is that possible?"

Beast Boy weighed his question in his head. It was probable. "Maybe," he replied with a shrug, before stopping to wait for the elevator. "I mean, if even _you _are unaware of the thought, then it isn't on the surface. And most psychics can only read what's on the surface. Why do you ask?"

Cyborg ignored his question, opting to ask one of his own. "So the same could be said for emotions, right?"

The changeling stepped onto the elevator as the doors dinged open, his best friend following suit.

"I mean, yeah; I guess," he shrugged, unsure of where the half-robot was going with this.

"So it's entirely possible for _you _to feel a certain way, but be _completely _oblivious to it - resulting in subconsciously burying the emotion to the point that even if an empath was to actively search for it, she - er, uhm, _they _would come up short?"

Beast Boy scratched the back of his head in confusion - he wasn't necessarily _dumb, _but sometimes he couldn't keep up with his robotic friend.

"Maybe?"

Cyborg smiled triumphantly at the changeling's answer, which only confused him more. He was about to ask him _why _he was so curious, but the elevator doors hissed open and the half-robot shooed the green teen out.

"Hurry up and give Rae her tea before it gets cold; I'm gonna check on the T-car real quick, and then I'll be up to check on her."

Beast Boy nodded skeptically as the doors shut between them. He turned around, deciding not to ponder over Cyborg's devious smirk, and instead made his way towards the med-lab.

As he neared it, his earlier conversation with the pale girl started replaying in his head, and he suddenly felt a little flustered. Why did she always have to make him feel so... awkward? It was like she thrived off of patronizing him or something.

He pushed open the door, and his thoughts quickly subsided when he realized the half-demon had ignored his wishes and opted to meditate instead. She was floating soundlessly above her temporary bed, her lips mouthing her mantra.

He felt a little ticked off that she had ignored his wishes _again, _but decided that he wouldn't bring it up.

"Rae?"

Her mouth stopped moving immediately, and her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"I'll rest later, Beast Boy. I needed to... sort something out first," she replied in her monotone, not even opening her eyes to acknowledge him.

He huffed in exasperation as he stepped closer. "Well, _I _made you some tea, since _I'm _a good enough friend to listen to _you _when _you _talk, and _I _know that _you _like tea. But obviously _you _never listen to _me,_" he grumbled, setting the mug down on the little roll-y table beside the bed.

A small smirk played at Raven's lips, and Beast Boy couldn't help but feel his irritation give way to amusement.

That's what he loved so much about their friendship - they could still drive each other up the wall, but at the end of the day they knew they were only looking out for each other's best interests.

"Don't tell me; it's _green _tea," she mused, her eyes still closed as she floated crossed-legged in the air.

Beast Boy gave her his signature toothy smile, even though she couldn't see it. "It's actually pretty good," he admitted, giving the drink an appreciative glance. "Well, with honey, anyway."

Raven arched her brows in surprise. "You made some for yourself?"

The changeling shook his head, before realizing she couldn't see it. "No," he replied.

Her eyebrows journeyed even higher. "You drank the tea you made for _me?_" she replied incredulously, opening her eyes and narrowing them ever so slightly.

Beast Boy let out a sheepish giggle at her glare. "I-I mean, how else was I supposed to know if I made it right?" he defended, taking a small step back.

Raven's glare never wavered. "How could you know what was 'right' in the first place? You've never drank it before," she deadpanned, still hovering over her bed, but crossing her arms in defiance as she waited for his answer.

"W-well," he began nervously, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. "This is gonna sound weird, and please don't take it the wrong way, but I can smell it on your breath, and knew to add honey because of it always smelling sweet."

Raven's hands instinctively went to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror. "My _breath?!_"

Sensing that she _had _taken it the wrong way, he waved his hands around frantically - why did she never listen to him?

"No, no no no! It's not a bad thing, Rae!" he assured, feeling a little weird for defending his teammate's breath. "It smells good, actually!"

He watched as her horror subsided into a pink blush, and realized how truly unusual his compliment was.

"B-but not it a creepy, 'I sniff you' kind of way!" he exclaimed, feeling himself blush as well. Maybe _he _was the one who always made things awkward between them.

"B-besides," he began timidly, giving her a sheepish grin, "I thought we were good enough friends to compliment each other's breath?" he joked, hoping to release some of the tension hanging in the air.

She rolled her eyes fondly at his attempted joke, her usual stoic demeanor returning. "Yes, well, we're also good enough friends who can let the other know when they are in need of some mouthwash, and you, my friend, can do with a good rinse."

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes playfully at her jab - there was _nothing _wrong with tofu-breath.

* * *

Actually, tofu-breath is hella nastyyy, Ima be honest. And I would know - I'm a vegetarian myself, and I will never leave the house with my mouth smelling like tofu, or anything other than minty-freshness!

But back to the story, it seems like Cyborg is trying to rationalize Beast Boy's lack of "feelings" for Rae, 'cuz let's face it, _Cyborg _is _never _wrong (or so he thinks (and so we hope))!

Maybe BB _is _just suppressing his _looooooove _for Rae-Rae! Or maybe Cy's just seeing what he (and the rest of us) wants to see! We'll never know!

Well, at least not until I type it all out lol

Anyway, review? :D


	9. Filing

I have no ownership of the Teen Titans!

* * *

Raven smirked at the disgruntled expression of her green teammate as he crossed his arms defiantly. She knew that it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer to him, but with Cyborg having his suspicions, she didn't want to chance it. A sarcastic Raven didn't sound any alarms.

Her musings distracted her from the devious smile that appeared on Beast Boy's face, and she was only brought back to the real world when he jumped onto her bed and put his face right in hers.

Her eyes widened as she realized how close he was - their noses were practically touching. Before she could even come to her senses fully, he blew into her face, gracing her with the smell of his tofu-breath.

"Ew!"

She had never said anything more girly as she lost her concentration and fell back onto the bed, causing the cackling changeling to topple over as well.

"Oh my god! You should have seen your face!"

Raven shot him the fiercest glare she could muster and attempted to get out from under him. She had landed cross-legged on the bed with Beast Boy's legs laying across her lap after he followed suit and landed beside her.

"You're disgusting," she growled, pushing his legs away, but not without giving him a good smack on the shin.

He continued to chuckle lightly as he made himself comfortable on the twin bed, leaning back with his hands behind his head as he propped his legs back onto her lap.

She watched as he closed his eyes, and cursed under her breath as she pushed his legs off of her again.

"I don't get why you're refusing to relax," he mused, finally refraining from touching her as laid his legs in front of her. "If I got hit like you, I would totally milk the opportunity for all it's worth!"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation at his laziness. "I'm sure it can be arranged," she deadpanned.

His eyes remained closed as his brows furrowed at her response. "Gee, Rae - you're too kind," he bit back sarcastically, before smirking again and swinging his legs back onto her.

Unfortunately she wasn't anticipating it, and the momentum caused her to lose her balance as she promptly fell backwards off the side of the bed, hitting the back of her head against the ground with a sickening smack.

She closed her eyes as she groaned in pain, and she could hear the bed creak as Beast Boy quickly came to her rescue with a horrified gasp.

"Oh shit, Rae! I am so sorry!"

She felt him kneel down beside her and gently slip his hand behind her head to help her back up. She stifled a squeal of pain before blindly batting him away. Her hand came in contact with something hard, and she smiled to herself when she realized it was his cheekbone. She had successfully smacked him in the face.

"Ow! Knock it _off _- I'm _trying _to help you!"

"Please, _don't,_" she muttered, closing her eyes even tighter. She knew the harsh florescent lighting in the med-lab would only aggravate her headache.

She sighed in frustration as she felt him try to help her again - and he said _she _never listened.

"Come on, Rae! Let's get you back up!" he cooed as his other hand slipped under her waist.

"No, Beast Boy!" she growled, batting him away again.

She heard him let out a huff of frustration. "Why won't you let me help you up?" he whined.

She smirked as she imagined his annoyed expression at her reluctance. "Because if I don't get up, you won't be able to knock me back down," she deadpanned. "Did you wake up this morning with the intent of causing me bodily harm, or was I just lucky?"

He let out another huff. "Hey! _I _wasn't the one who hit you with the dumbbell!" he cried incredulously. _  
_

"We both know it was _your _fault," she blurted without thinking.

An awkward silence passed between them as they both wallowed in his embarrassment. Well, now she knew he knew she knew.

"Let's just get you up."

Raven complied this time, letting him lift her gently into a sitting position. She opened her eyes tentatively, only to find herself face-to-face with three blurry Beast Boys.

Taking a guess, she attempted to hit the middle one on the back of the head, but instead smacked his jaw.

"_Stop hitting me!_"

She smiled triumphantly as he pulled her to her feet and laid her back down on the bed.

"What, you're not gonna lie with me this time?" she teased, rejoicing in the way his face lit up in a blush.

"Did you hit the ground really hard?" he asked, his worry seeping through his voice and into her skin as it radiated off of him.

She snorted in amusement as her eyes finally focused on him. "As hard as it sounded," she mused, knowing that her answer was probably unsettling. "So no corny jokes about me falling for you?"

He rolled his eyes fondly as he snatched a pillow from the other bed and handed it to her. "I'll get you some ice," he offered sheepishly.

She shook her head in disagreement, mentally noting that doing that was a bad idea. "It's fine - I can just heal myself."

The green teen gave her an inquisitive once-over, though not in the same way he had earlier. This time it was a _worried _look, though it still did warrant a few butterflies - after all, worried equaled caring, and him caring about her felt nice.

"But doesn't healing yourself take a lot out of you?" he questioned cautiously.

Raven gave him a weak smile. It was true that healing herself was often times more taxing than levitating herself or an object, but she'd rather be a little tired than have an excruciating headache and not be able to focus.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, adding an irritated eye-roll for good measure. A smiley Raven was a suspicious Raven.

Beast Boy didn't look convinced. "Maybe we should get Cyborg to check it out first," he suggested, slowly backing away towards the door.

Raven sighed in defeat when she realized he was right - knowing _what _she was healing was usually a good idea.

"Fine," she drawled, putting the pillow behind her head and settling into the bed.

He gave her his signature toothy grin and raced out of the room, leaving her alone to think.

About him.

She couldn't decide if she enjoyed crushing on him - the tingley feelings she got when he did something nice were enjoyable, but knowing he didn't feel the same was definitely a downer.

She glanced to her side, seeing the forgotten mug of tea sitting on the table. She sat up slowly and reached for it, opting not to strain her powers. It was probably only lukewarm by now, but it was still tea. She sipped it delicately, smiling despite herself at its sweetness. Obviously Beast Boy misjudged the amount of honey she added, but he did base it off of the smell of her breath.

Which, regardless of her affections for him, she found to be incredibly weird.

Taking another sip, she made the connection that the tea was as sweet as the boy who made it, and she let out a dry chuckle; he was turning her into such a _girl. _

But for some reason, she filed that under the pros of having a crush.

* * *

"Well, again, there isn't a concussion," Cyborg stated, evaluating her new set of charts. Raven had to stifle a laugh at the way her big brother had ripped her crush a new one for knocking her off of the bed. She knew Beast Boy was sorry as it was, but seeing his ears fold back like a dog's would was kind of cute. A little sad, but cute nonetheless.

And if he got to shamelessly check her out while she trained, she figured it was only fair for her to enjoy his embarrassment.

"So I can heal myself?" she mused, hoping Cyborg would give her the okay and she could finally return to her room. Or find out where Starfire and Robin had run off to.

On second thought, she decided she probably didn't want to know.

"Everything looks good," he replied, tucking her charts under his arm. She knew he was going to file it away after she left - he liked to keep even the little things on record.

She sighed in relief as she pressed her hand to the back of her head, letting the cool sensation of her healing powers outweigh the searing pain of speeding up the healing process.

When the headache subsided, leaving only a dull pain in the back of her mind, she began to climb out of bed.

Apparently Beast Boy disagreed with that notion.

"You promised you would rest!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side and trying to push her back down.

_Again. _

"Oh, for the love of Azar will you just quit it!" she growled, pushing him away and giving him a fierce glare. She was _not _going through all of that again.

Beast Boy seemed to sense her determination and grudgingly stepped aside, allowing her to go back to her room.

As if she needed his permission - sometimes the boy was _way _too protective.

"I hope that I don't have to remind you that I am _not _a child, Beast Boy," she deadpanned, standing up from the bed and making her way out of the med-lab. She could hear the changeling follow suit, leaving Cyborg behind with his files. And thoughts.

She really hoped he wasn't thinking about _her. _

"I just think it's stupid how you put up this 'too tough to care' front, Rae," the green teen replied.

She slowed her pace ever so slightly to allow him to catch up without seeming obvious. "I know my limits, Beast Boy," she bit back incredulously. "And I also know you have a knack for pushing them."

She spared him a sideways glance as he caught up to her, just in time to see him roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Well I'm _sorry _for thinking we were the type of friends who cared about each other," he snapped, obviously fed up with her snarky remarks.

She groaned internally at his use of 'friends' - it was like that was his favorite word, and he just _had _to remind her that that's all she was to him. And all she'd ever be.

"Apology accepted," she replied sarcastically as they entered the elevator. He scoffed at her response before they both fell into an awkward silence. She could feel his annoyance building as she tapped her fingers on the rail, and felt a small smile tug at her lips at the reversal of their roles.

Finally the elevator opened onto their floor, and she swiftly made her way towards her room, noticing smugly that the green teen was still beside her. It was apparent that he had to at least see that she got to her room okay, before he could successfully sulk at their argument.

"Would you look at that," she mused as her door came into view. "We've made it to my room. I don't know what I would have done if you _hadn't _followed me the whole way."

He growled under his breath at her sarcasm, and she knew she was definitely pushing him too far today. _Way _too far.

Despite his obvious annoyance, he walked her all the way to her door and waited until she entered the room before turning to leave.

Not wanting to depart on such bad terms, she called after him from her doorway.

"Beast Boy!"

He turned around cautiously, probably expecting another insult or sarcastic remark.

"Thank you for the tea," she deadpanned, allowing one of her small, genuine smiles to surface on her lips.

He looked slightly taken aback, before giving her a large grin. "No problem, Rae!"

* * *

A little drama, and a little fluff. Good combination?

Like I said before, I'm trying not to rely solely on humor for this story, so there's bound to be a few minor arguments here and there, since BB and Rae butt heads a lot as it is. Plus, Raven is trying to hide her crush, so she's kind of been overcompensating a bit in the insult department. But do not fear - BB will start to bring out the softer side of her in no time!

Anywhoo, review? Or follow or favorite! I can't believe this story has gotten so many already! It's so amazing! Thank you!


	10. Too Loud

The Teen Titans will be mine someday! Muahahahaha

* * *

He didn't know why he always forgave her. She could literally push him to the brink of insanity (or death), and then flash him her smile and _he'd _be the one to apologize. He had no idea how she had managed to have so much power over him.

He idly wondered if she had some sort of succubus-demony-mind-control powers she had failed to mention that only seemed to affect him, but he wasn't sure how to go about asking.

Plus, he was pretty sure the real reason was because of how much he cared about her caring about him. He knew that despite her rude remarks, she also considered him a best friend. Maybe even her _only _best friend, though that could be because he was the only one to constantly get her to open up. And he'd never, _ever _do anything to compromise his friendship with her, so he always forgave her.

And that royally pissed him off.

He decided that pouting about their argument would be pointless, so he made his way towards the common room to maybe play some video games. Just like when he had gone in earlier, it was empty.

Meaning he'd have to spend time alone.

He hated being alone after an argument, due to the fact that he'd just replay it over and over again in his head. And even though he and Raven weren't exactly _arguing, _their bickering often put him on edge. He didn't understand why she always had to act so tough - she wasn't invincible. He'd seen her get colds and paper cuts and even a broken wrist once. And sure, she could always go and "heal it", but that didn't denounce the fact that it had happened - and she couldn't heal herself very well if she _died. _

Though she had died once, and then came back, but that was beside the point - and, admittedly, something he'd prefer to forget.

Plus, he knew a bump on her head _probably _wouldn't kill her, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Too many people close to him had died, and Raven was _not _going on that list. Ever.

Speaking of lists, he realized that Raven's future boyfriend would have to be forgiving as well. Sure, it would probably be a lot to ask of the dude, since the empath herself started so many arguments, but Beast Boy wouldn't allow a guy in her life that would cause her so much grief.

With these thoughts occupying his mind, he hadn't realized he was no longer alone in the room until somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

Jumping a foot in the air and yelping like a kicked puppy, he turned around to face his attacker.

The boy wonder stared at him with a bemused expression on his face.

"How am I able to sneak up on the guy with super-hearing?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes in exasperation - regardless of his animal senses, if he wasn't paying attention, it was easy to get sneaked up on.

"What do you want?" he asked lazily, ignoring his leader's question.

Robin let out a dry chuckle as he passed the changeling, who had neglected to move from the top of the stairs since entering the common room.

"I'm just getting some water for Star - she's trying to distract herself by training, and I don't want her dehydrating herself," he explained, heading towards the kitchen and opening the fridge.

Beast Boy sniffed tentatively, wondering how in the world he hadn't noticed Robin's stench - Star was obviously not the only one training.

"How's Rave doing, anyway?"

The shape-shifter continued on his quest to the couch while answering his leader. "She's in her room, either meditating or resting," he mused, before letting out a humorless laugh. "On second thought, she's definitely meditating, since _I _told her to rest."

He could hear Robin let out another chuckle from behind him. "Do you think you two will _ever _get along?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes as he plopped down onto the couch. "We _do _get along... occasionally," he smirked, snatching the controller from the table and turning on the GameStation. The loading screen for his racing game came on, and he listened to Robin shuffle around in the kitchen as he waited. The boy wonder was obviously making Starfire some sort of snack, probably to coax her out of her training tangent - the alien either worked herself to death or made pudding when she was upset.

"Well, since you're probably going to bug her in the next hour, mind letting her know Star will be dropping by to see her?" his leader asked expectantly.

Beast Boy was about to disagree with the notion that he would be "bugging" her, but the common room doors hissing shut made it clear that Robin's favor was actually an order.

"Stupid boy blunder," the green teen muttered under his breath - he didn't have to do anything for anyone.

But warning Raven would probably be a good thing, since he knew how "loud" Starfire was with her emotions, and it would probably overwhelm the empath if she were to encounter them unprepared in her current state.

He let out an exasperated sigh before making himself comfortable and starting his game.

He hadn't even realized how much time had passed until he heard the common room doors hiss open. Deciding that turning his head around would be too much work, he sniffed the air. His heart stopped when he smelt the floral-y scent of Raven, and the fruity scent of Starfire.

He forgot to warn Raven.

"But perhaps we can do the shopping tomorrow, since it is the Saturday and the mall of shopping is having the sale."

He could hear the empath sigh wearily before responding. "Can't I just borrow something of yours?"

The alien gasped in horror. "But Raven! I do not own the gowns appropriate for the event!"

Beast Boy sunk lower in his seat when he realized they were talking about the charity function next Friday. Even though he and Raven were only going as friends, he still felt a little flustered at the fact that she was his _date. _Sure, Raven made it clear that she wasn't going to treat it as a date, but he knew other people would just assume otherwise. And he really didn't want to embarrass her by having everyone think she would ever go out with him. Plus, there would be a lot of eligible guys for her to _actually _date, and he didn't want to ruin her chances.

"Starfire, I honestly don't care. I don't need anything too fancy," Raven deadpanned. It seemed as though they either didn't notice Beast Boy was in the room (though the TV was on and a game was playing), or they figured he wasn't listening. Or they didn't care if he was.

"But do you not want to look most beautiful?" the alien pressed. Beast Boy felt even more guilty when he heard Raven let out another sigh. He really hoped she wasn't aware of the fact that he was supposed to warn her.

"I could wear the most gorgeous dress and have my hair and makeup done by professionals who work with movie stars, and I'd still pale in comparison to you - even if you wore a potato sack."

Her last statement pissed the changeling off to no end - did she _not _remember his embarrassing admittance a few hours earlier? How could she even think she would pale in comparison to Starfire? Sure, the alien was gorgeous, but so was Raven! She was so strikingly stunning, it actually kind of scared him when they first met. Her beauty probably stemmed from being half-demon and luring people into darkness, but regardless, the girl was a looker.

He continued fuming silently on the couch, not realizing the girls had stopped their conversation.

"Do you mind keeping it down, Beast Boy?"

He jumped slightly when Raven acknowledged him. He peeked over his shoulder, noticing both of his teammates were giving him a strange look.

"Heh, sorry, Rae," he replied sheepishly before reaching for the remote and turning down the volume.

"I meant your emotions."

He felt his face heat up in a fierce blush - apparently his anger was a bit too loud. He hoped she hadn't picked up on _why _he was so angry; being pissed off that she called herself ugly was strange enough for a friend to think - especially when that friend was a guy.

"Sorry," he repeated, attempting to stifle his anger, which was slowly turning into embarrassment.

He heard Raven let out _another _sigh, and his annoyance came back full force. Slamming his controller onto the table, he jumped up from the couch and turned around to glare at her.

"Okay, I'm done trying to be nice, Rae. You _need _to rest!" he growled, marching towards her.

Her blank expression slipped at his outburst, and surprisingly, she looked _amused. _Which pissed him off even more.

"Sorry, Star, but you guys are gonna have to finish your conversation some other time," he said, a little nicer this time as to not remind the alien of _why _Raven needed to rest.

Not waiting for an answer, he swiftly captured the half-demon's wrist and pulled her towards the common room doors. She surprised him again by not resisting, and he figured she was actually a bit relieved to be pulled away from Starfire.

The silence between them quickly became awkward as they neared her room. He knew she probably wouldn't take too kindly to him pulling her around, but she surprised him again by opening her door and slipping into her room silently. He quickly pulled it open before it shut, just so he could make sure she was actually going to rest.

She turned around and raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"What are you doing?"

Beast Boy continued glaring at her from her doorway. "Making sure you're _actually _going to get some sleep," he bit back, crossing his arms defiantly.

Raven's lips twitched into a smirk. "So you're just going to stand there and watch me change into my pajamas?" she deadpanned.

A fiery red blush immediately consumed his face, and he quickly stepped back to allow the door to close between them. He could barely hear the pale girl let out a small laugh, before the sound of her drawer opening drowned it out.

He realized with a start that Raven was probably half-naked on the other side of the door, and he promptly turned around and raced towards his own room before the thought could sink in fully.

Who knew how loud emotions like _that _would be.

* * *

Poor Beast Boy, all flustered and awkward. But could you blame him? His best friend just found out that he thinks she's hot! Lol

So, obviously he's attracted to her, but he still only feels friendship for her (at least on the surface). But hopefully that will soon change!

Anyways, leave a review?


	11. Things

I haven't bought the rights to the Teen Titans... yet.

* * *

Raven lied down in her bed, staring at her ceiling for a good five minutes as her mind went over everything that had happened. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she rolled over and tried to actually get some rest. As much as she hated to admit it, Beast Boy was right - with her exhaustion from healing herself coupled with the suppressing of her emotions, she was a ticking time-bomb. Meditation would only do so much.

She pulled her covers over herself and tried to drift off to sleep, but it seemed that no matter how tired her body was, her mind just wouldn't rest. Her thoughts were racing, and she felt overwhelmed from everything that had happened that day. Pushing Beast Boy's limits seemed to have pushed her to the edge as well, and she realized bitterly that she couldn't do something like that again for a while.

And she loved bugging him almost as much as he loved bugging her.

It was a strange cycle of annoyance, but both had become accustomed to it, and rather enjoyed it. That was their relationship - the thing _they _had. _Together. _Even if he didn't exactly see it in the same way she did, she knew that he liked it, too. It was their thing.

She smiled slightly to herself at that thought; they had a _thing. _A stupid, immature, wanting-to-rip-each-other's-heads-off thing, but a thing nonetheless.

And honestly, that's all she could really ask for.

She realized that she _had _managed to fall asleep when the blaring of the alarm woke her. Sitting up quickly, she felt as if her mind was scrambled, and her vision blurred slightly. It lasted only a second, but she knew that it wasn't a good sign. Regardless, the city needed her, and she wasn't going to let a little light-headedness stop her from saving the day.

Plus, it's not like she was going to blindly run out there and risk her powers acting up, but she couldn't just sit on the sidelines. If she paced herself, all would be well, and she could return home and rest.

She changed out of her pajamas quickly and pulled on a leotard, before grabbing her cloak and rushing out the door.

Only to run straight into a solid object.

Her vision blurred again as she knocked it over, toppling on top of it and smacking her head against something hard. She rubbed her head tentatively and idly wondered if she was going to suffer any permanent brain-damage from everything that had happened already.

"Did you just fall for me, again?"

Raven suppressed a smirk as she realized the thing she landed on was her green teammate. Opening her eyes, she found herself face-to-chin with him as she laid on top of him

"I never claimed to have fallen for you the first time," she deadpanned, picking herself up off of him. Even though she found the position quite comfortable.

The changeling rolled his eyes fondly as he got up as well. "You can go ahead and admit it, Rae," he teased.

_I would if you felt the same, _she thought bitterly, before hiding her disappointment with a smirk. "Can we return to reality now?"

He let out a curt laugh, before a serious expression crossed his face. "You do realize you're not going on this mission, right?"

Her jaw literally dropped at his statement. "Excuse me?" she replied incredulously. There was no way in hell _Beast Boy _was ordering her around. No matter how attractive she found him, she would never, _ever _let him tell her what to do when it came to being a hero.

He had the decency to at least look a little embarrassed as he took a small step backwards. "You're not feeling one-hundred percent, Rae. I can tell - you need a little more time before you're at your full strength, and I'm not risking you - "

"What, do you think I'll hurt somebody?" she snapped. How dare he insinuate that she wasn't capable of knowing her own limits.

"That's not what I meant - " he replied defensively, holding his hands up in a pleading manner.

"It sure sounds that way, Beast Boy," she seethed, crossing her arms in defiance. They were wasting so much time arguing right now; if he didn't come around in two seconds, she was going to teleport to the alert. Starfire was probably already there by now, and Robin and Cyborg were no doubt on their way.

"You're not letting me explain - " he tried again, but Raven just wasn't having it. There were people's lives at stake.

"We are _heroes, _Beast Boy! There are sacrifices to be made, and if it means overexerting myself for the greater-good, I'm down for the cause," she growled, summoning her energy to phase to the roof.

Before she could accomplish that, the green teen grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of her concentration.

"I'm not sacrificing _you!_" he exclaimed, causing her anger towards him to falter. Even though she could feel the frustration and friendship pouring off of him, it was an incredibly romantic statement.

His face flushed slightly, and she figured he realized the same thing.

"Robin ordered me to keep you here - he's not risking your well-being, either," he added sheepishly, the fire in his eyes slowly fading.

She cursed herself as she let her powers disperse - his puppy-dog eyes were way too good.

Plus, an order from Robin wasn't something she could very well argue with - he wouldn't willingly go into battle two-teammates short if he wasn't absolutely certain that he and the other two could handle it.

"Fine," she muttered in defeat, ripping her wrist from his grasp. She prayed she wasn't blushing as she turned around swiftly and opened her door. If everyone wanted her to rest, then she'd rest. Since obviously _everyone else _knew what was best for _her._

"Please don't be mad, Rae," Beast Boy begged, unwisely following her into her room. It was as if he was just asking to be sent to another dimension.

"You know no one is allowed in here," she growled, though she did nothing to stop him as she crawled back into her bed.

She heard him sigh from the end of her bed - he was obviously pushing his boundaries as well.

"I don't want you going to bed mad at me - er, uhm, all of us," he replied.

She smiled into her pillow at the slip of his tongue - it was cute how flustered he could get when talking to her, regardless of whether it was the kind of flustered she wanted.

"I'm not mad," she lied, pulling the covers over her. She felt a little odd pouting in front of him, but she was honestly loving the attention he was giving her. She should pout more often.

"Raven!" he groaned, and she could feel the bed shift as he plopped down at the foot of it. "You're never this difficult!"

She rolled her eyes as she sat up and gave him an irritated look. "Then maybe you should let me rest so that I can go back to my normal, boring self."

His eyes narrowed slightly at her statement. "Why do you refuse to acknowledge the fact that we're friends?" he bit back, abruptly changing the subject.

Raven felt her eyebrows join her hairline at the sudden shift in his emotions. They became somewhat hostile.

"I mean, the least you can do is humor me - _pretend _that you actually like me," he continued.

She had to stifle a laugh at the irony of his words; if anything, she liked him _too much_. And it was really messing with her whole "emotionless" front she liked to put on.

"Oh, just shut up," she sighed, earning a bemused look from the changeling. "You're obviously just fishing for a compliment right now - what do you want me to say? That you're my best friend?"

His face blushed slightly, and she felt herself grow curious as to why a sudden bought of embarrassment was seeping off of him.

"Because _you _never fish for compliments," he bit back, and she felt herself smirk as she remembered what had happened earlier.

"That was different," she replied with a huff of amusement. "I wasn't being serious; _you're _acting as if you really don't believe we're friends, when you _know _that's completely absurd.

Again, he was decent enough to give her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, well, sometimes you make me think you _actually _hate me."

She let out a curt laugh at how wrong he was. "Get out of my room, Beast Boy."

He let out a snort of amusement as he stood from her bed. "Yeah, that's totally not giving me the impression that you can't stand me," he replied sarcastically.

Raven let out a dramatic groan as she lied back down. "I don't hate _you, _Beast Boy. I just hate how annoying you can be."

She heard him laugh slightly at her explanation as he made his way towards her door.

"I thought that was our thing, Rae?" he replied lightly, and she felt those stupid butterflies as his voice echoed her earlier thoughts.

"Yeah," she sighed, smiling slightly to herself as he left the room and her door hissed shut. "It's our thing."

* * *

I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday - I was literally in the car all day haha. Technically I'm on vacation right now, so you all should feel super-duper special that I'm taking my precious vacay-time to type this up (actually, my friends are asleep - at noon lol - and I was bored). But regardless, you best be feeling special.

Anywhoo, I'm honestly half asleep right now, and kind of unwilling to proof-read. Sorry if there are any mistakes; I'll probably edit them out later. Just ignore them haha. I think I'll attempt to update my other stories later today, but like I said - I'm on vacation! And I'm not getting back home til Friday, so expect sporadic updates haha.

Anyways, maybe leave a review? That'd be like totes fab ;D


	12. Saturday Morning Breakfast

I have no ownage of the Teen Titans!

* * *

Beast Boy stared in disgust at the piles of meat in front of him. Cyborg just _had _to make his famous "Saturday Morning Breakfast" - which was really just an excuse for the half-robot to cook up any and all slaughtered animals he had in the fridge. At least he was nice enough to make a few dairy-free pancakes, though the changeling preferred waffles.

But hey - it was better than cereal.

Expertly dodging the mound of overly-greasy bacon, he reached for his small stack of pancakes and slid the plate towards him - it wasn't like anyone _else _would eat them.

Not even Starfire, who was busy squirting a generous helping of mustard on her pancake-bacon-sausage sandwich.

And Cyborg said _Beast Boy's _food was inedible.

The changeling shuddered slightly as he watched his robotic friend construct a similar sandwich - sans mustard - across from him. Cyborg always made a show of his love for meat, but surprisingly hadn't today. He was probably too hungry after the mission last night - Beast Boy had ventured to the common room to wait for the three titans to return, and was a bit surprised when they came home a little after midnight and covered in a fine layer of dust. Apparently Cinderblock was a little more challenging than Robin had expected, though he obviously didn't voice the fact out loud.

Plus, Beast Boy was just happy that Raven hadn't gone on the mission.

Speaking of the empath, he spared a quick glance to his right. Her usual breakfast of tea was sitting in front of her, steaming slightly and smelling like mint. It was a little surprising to see a small plate of bacon next to it, along with a lone pancake - he knew she was more of a waffle person as well.

He was a little concerned at the way she was picking at her plate; she never ate much as it was, but after everything that happened yesterday, he was hoping she'd eat up and get her strength back. He even found himself hoping she'd at least eat the _bacon. _

She seemed distracted as she took a small sip of her tea, her eyes unfocused on the wall. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but knew that doing so in front of everyone else would only make her uncomfortable. Plus, it would cause their leader to over-analyze everything and annoy the pale girl even more.

He'd have to wait til he could get her alone.

His decision made, he turned back towards his own plate, but not before catching the curious look his best friend was casting him. The half-robot had his human brow arched in suspension, accompanied by a small smirk on his lips.

Beast Boy let out a quiet sigh of frustration - Cyborg catching him staring at Raven during training was one thing, but seeing him glancing at her during breakfast was on a whole other level. Sure, friends showed concern for each other and would keep an eye out for strange behavior, but Cyborg was convinced that the changeling was pushing the boundaries on his friendship with the half-demon. Beast Boy could remember - in vivid, excruciatingly embarrassing detail - the time his best friend had accused him of crushing on the pale girl. He obviously denied it, since he honestly didn't feel that way. It wasn't that Raven _wasn't _totally crush-worthy (he was actually somewhat surprised he _didn't _like her that way), it was just that he had categorized her under "friends".

Though his primal side seemed to object to that notion.

Honestly, that was probably the main reason why Beast Boy felt nothing but the utmost respect and friendship for the empath; if he allowed his human thoughts to entertain the idea of being more intimate with Raven, he feared it would only fuel his primal obsession with her.

And the fact that she was totally out of his league and would never like him like that swayed his decision slightly as well.

He was knocked out of his thoughts by the labored sigh that escaped the half-demon's lips. He must have been feeling too loud, causing her discomfort.

Her being an empath was _another _reason why Beast Boy couldn't like her - imagine how utterly embarrassing _that _would be.

"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

She gave him a bewildered look, and he felt himself blush as he realized maybe he wasn't the cause for her distress. Though he was plenty use to being the reason; apologizing was just a habit.

"Why are you sorry?" Her eyes were looking at him, but they seemed to take a while before they actually _saw _him - she must have been thinking about something really important to still be so distracted.

Not wanting to draw attention to his emotions, he quickly thought up an excuse. "Oh, uhm... I thought I had bumped your foot," he supplied awkwardly.

Her eyebrows rose in apprehension, obviously knowing that he _hadn't _bumped her foot.

"Oh." She paused, turning back towards her breakfast. "You didn't."

He responded with a nod, not knowing what else to say. If it wasn't for the quiet conversation between Robin and Starfire from the other end of the table, the silence would have been unbearable. Glancing again at his robotic friend, Beast Boy felt himself blush at the smug smile on Cyborg's face; obviously he hadn't bought his excuse either.

"So how'd you two spend your evening last night?"

Beast Boy stifled a groan of annoyance - he didn't mind Cyborg's teasing so much when they were alone, but he really didn't want Raven to feel embarrassed or get the wrong idea.

"Beast Boy treated me as if I were a child and sent me to bed," Raven deadpanned, obviously still a little miffed.

He gave her a sheepish smile, which earned him a glare.

"H-hey, they were _Robin's_ orders; you should be mad at _him,_" Beast Boy defended, earning another glare, only this one was from the boy wonder.

"I only ordered it after you went on and on about Raven being too weak to go into battle!" he bit back.

The changeling shrunk in his seat as the pale girl's glare intensified.

"You think I'm _weak?_"

Okay, he was going to kill Robin. How could he just throw him under the bus like that?

Beast Boy quickly adverted his eyes from hers, only to catch another smirk from the half-robot.

Okay, he'd kill Cyborg too, for good measure.

"I believe Beast Boy was only doing the looking out for you, Raven."

Thank god for Starfire. Beast Boy could kiss her right now - if it wasn't for the fact that he thought of her as a sister and Robin would probably slice his throat with a butter knife.

The alien continued with her "voicing of the reason" - or so she called it. "You should not be upset with him. You should be upset with me, for I am the one who has caused the need for your bed rest." She hung her head in shame.

Beast Boy spared a quick glance at Raven, whose features softened a bit at the orange girl's guilt. Who knew even _Raven _couldn't face the sadness of Starfire?

"It was an accident, Starfire. I told you that I don't blame you," the empath replied soothingly - the alien's emotions were strong as it was, and Beast Boy could only imagine the toll they would take on Raven's mind.

Starfire nodded slowly, giving Beast Boy a small, almost invisible smile. "Then perhaps you should not blame Beast Boy for looking out for you? He is a good friend, is he not?"

The changeling shot the girl a grateful grin, before turning his puppy-dog eyes on the empath beside him.

Her mouth twitched slightly at the orange girl's words, before she turned her attention to him.

"Thank you for being a good _friend, _Beast Boy," she seethed through her teeth.

He couldn't help but notice the strained way she said "friend", and he felt his ears fold back in concern - was she hinting to him that they _weren't _friends?

"Of course," he replied honestly, his mirth vanishing instantly. He could tell she had picked up on the shift of his emotions, which had gone from playful to confused. He hoped that she'd at least clarify that they _were _friends, and she was only upset, but instead she turned back to her uneaten breakfast. Beast Boy felt his confusion turn to despair at the thought of making her angry enough to drop their friendship. His animal instincts cheered at the prospect of ridding himself of her darkness, whereas his primal side cursed him for being so stupid, and begged him to show submission, or maybe get _her _to.

But the human side of Beast Boy only felt the sadness of upsetting a close friend - even though he only had her best interests in mind.

He noticed the concerned way Starfire was looking at them, and idly hoped that she'd pick up on the tension and help him out.

"Oh! I have the most glorious idea!"

Everyone at the table directed their sights on the now excitable alien.

"Beast Boy! Will you accompany me and Raven to the mall of shopping? We must search for her gown, and I do not wish to do the choosing of a color that would clash with your unique tone of skin!"

Beast Boy smiled slightly at the delicate way she had described his greenness. "Sure, Star!"

Honestly, the prospect of shopping for a _dress _sounded horrible, but spending time with his teammates and having the opportunity to right himself with Raven sounded too good to pass up.

"Glorious!"

He spared another glance at Raven, who was suppressing a small smirk as she sipped her tea. He could tell she knew what he was doing, and the fact that it amused her made his heart soar - they were obviously still friends.

"Don't you think Rae here would look totally hot in green?" he teased, knowing all too well that he was pushing it.

Her smirk vanished immediately as she choked on her tea.

* * *

Sorry for the late update! I had a totally super busy weekend! I visited an old, abandoned Asylum on Thursday (which was void of spirits, ghosts, and/or inbred mutant cannibals - bummer), saw Godzilla on Friday (which was soo so sooooo amazing - Aaron Taylor Johnson omg), went to a bridal shower on Saturday, and then went back to work on Sunday!

So here's the update! I hope it's alright - I didn't want to rush it, but I felt bad for not updating as quickly as I usually do!

Anywhoo, leave a review? Oh! And another random question - where do you stand on the waffles vs pancakes debate? Personally, I'm a waffle girl!


	13. Sense and Scents

The Teen Titans are owned by some kind of company or something. Idk. All I know is that they aren't mine.

* * *

Raven attempted to regulate her breathing as she wiped the tea from her mouth. She knew Beast Boy was only teasing her, but the fact that he did so in front of the whole _team _made her feel a tad bit uncomfortable.

She should have been moderately flattered by the compliment, but the fact that he was able to say it so casually proved how deep into the friendzone she was. It was a bad sign when he a boy could call her hot and _not _be flustered by it.

She coughed lightly, still attempting to clear her airway, and the changeling had the decency to show concern as he patted her on the back.

"You okay, Rae?"

No, she wasn't okay. It wasn't fair that he could cause her so much confusion and embarrassment and get away with it. He couldn't just ignore the fact that she was a semi-attractive girl. She had to remind him.

"I'm fine," she managed dryly, before "accidentally" setting her hand on his thigh as she stood from the table. "I just need to change."

She watched from the corner of her eye as he stiffened at her sudden gesture, and though her hand hadn't lingered for a second longer than an "accident", she could tell it got to him. Perfect.

She tried to suppress her smirk as she made her way through the common room doors and towards her room. Beast Boy would _not _get away with causing her all this distress - she was going to return the favor.

Once she was in her room, she quickly opened her drawer to find some civilian clothes to wear. She didn't have much aside from her workout clothes, but at the very back she found a long-sleeved, v-neck shirt. It was black, and would probably be a little warm for the nice weather outside, but it would have to do. She threw it on quickly, noting how it discreetly reminded onlookers that she was a woman, without being too revealing. Besides, modesty and mystery was way sexier than skimpy. Well, at least she hoped so, anyways.

The neckline dipped past her collarbone, and though it only showed a tad bit of cleavage, she knew it would be a shock compared to her high-collared uniform.

Satisfied that it would have the intended effect, she began searching for bottoms. She realized bitterly that all she had were leggings and yoga-pants, which made her butt look good, but weren't as non-Raven as she was hoping for. Sighing in defeat, she pulled on a pair of dark-grey cropped leggings, causing her outfit to become a little more "comfy" and a little less "sultry" - though she knew if she were given the choice, comfy would probably prevail.

Sort-of satisfied with her outfit as a whole, she made her way towards her rarely used vanity. She opened the drawer and pulled out an old, dust-covered tube of ruby-red lipstick that Starfire had given her ages ago. Popping off the cap and twisting the bottom, she watched apprehensively as the waxy-red product came into view.

She knew there was no way in hell she'd _ever _wear lipstick to the _mall, _but she hurriedly dabbed a bit onto the apples of her cheeks, before blending it out and creating a very subtle, natural-looking blush.

Thankfully her eyelashes were already black (or rather, a very dark purple), so she only had to curl them with a lash-curler (another gift from her alien teammate). Makeup was definitely more Starfire's thing, but Raven recalled some of the tips she had learned after being forced to watch tutorials with her teammate on "girls night".

Giving her reflection a skeptical glance, she decided that she looked enough like her normal self to not warrant any questions, yet different enough to earn a second look from the changeling. Or so she hoped.

This kind of deceitfulness was really not her thing, but his casual compliment drew the line - if he was ever going to compliment her again, he had to be flustered and embarrassed like the day before. This cocky, teasing Beast Boy had to go.

A knock on her door reminded her that she had left breakfast rather abruptly, and she found herself hoping it was the changeling coming to apologize. She opened the door slowly, only to feel her heart sink as she took in the smiling face of the alien.

"I hope you are well, friend!" Starfire cried cheerfully, before her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Your appearance seems altered."

Raven arched a brow quizzically, somewhat surprised at the keenness of her teammate. "It does?" she deadpanned.

Starfire nodded slowly, before shaking away her thoughts. "Never mind - we must get ready for the trip to the mall of shopping! I trust you are already done with the primping?"

The empath held back a snort of amusement - like she'd _ever _be caught dead "primping".

"I'm ready to go, yes," she replied dryly.

The orange girl smiled brilliantly. "Glorious! I shall change into the appropriate attire, and then we may proceed to the sales!" She began to fly down the hall, before stopping suddenly and turning back towards the pale girl. "Please to the getting of friend Beast Boy!"

Raven nodded in response, before making her way back towards the common room. Oh, she'd get Beast Boy all right. One way, or another.

* * *

As the three titans walked through the mall, Raven couldn't help but notice the male attention her and Starfire were receiving. In all honesty, most of it was directed at the alien, who was wearing a white miniskirt and a lace, pink crop-top (and still managed to look sweet and innocent), but Raven had caught a few eyes as well. Which apparently didn't sit well with her green teammate.

She could feel the protectiveness oozing off of him as they walked side-by-side, and she couldn't help but wonder _why _he seemed so disgruntled by the lingering stares directed at her. She could read his emotions clear as day, and all she was picking up was the regular feel of friendship, along with an underlying spark of anger. But why in the world was he _angry? _

Raven loved that he was feeling that way, but she couldn't for the life of her come up with a reasonable answer - he was just angry. He had literally growled when she was approached by a somewhat attractive guy, who had only smiled at her and quickly walked away, obviously not wanting to deal with an angry superhero.

She had given Beast Boy a questioning glance, and he had the decency to at least feel a little embarrassed. But that was _all _he felt - there was nothing to warrant his sudden protectiveness of _her. _And it was even more confusing that he didn't seem to feel protective over Starfire, who had taken almost twenty pictures with some of her male fans.

Deciding that her theories would only get her so far, she finally mustered up the courage to confront him. Waiting as Starfire was approached by another fan, she pulled the changeling aside.

"What's your problem, Beast Boy?"

He gave her bewildered look, obviously confused by the lack of hostility in her voice.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at his incompetence - was she _really _crushing on a guy who was so thick-headed?

"You're literally growling at all of my fans - what, are you jealous that I'm more popular than you?" She made sure to keep her tone light, so that he wouldn't think she was just picking a fight.

Again, she felt a wave of embarrassment pour off of him. "Oh, uh... sorry," he replied sheepishly, not answering her question at all.

She suppressed a groan of frustration as she gave him a pointed look. "I'm serious, Beast Boy. Why are you being so... weird?"

She cringed internally at the pathetic way she worded her sentence, but figured it would get the job done.

He looked away bashfully, and she could see the reluctance on his face; he obviously didn't want to tell her something. Which made her want to know even more.

"What?" she pressed, unconsciously leaning towards him.

He continued to avoid eye contact as she waited for his answer.

"I-I can smell them, Rae," he started uncertainly.

She gave him a bewildered look - what did he mean by that? He could smell _everybody! _

As if sensing her confusion, he elaborated. "Let's just say, I can tell what they're thinking when they look at you... and I don't like it."

She felt herself blush as she picked up on what he meant. Being an empath meant that she, too, realized what the guys had been thinking when they saw her, but she had no idea how _much _she had been... affecting them.

"They have the same thoughts about Starfire," she blurted, not really meaning to say it out loud.

Beast Boy nodded in agreement, surprisingly unembarrassed by her observation. "Yeah, but Starfire's completely oblivious to it all, whereas you can _sense_ what these dudes are thinking, and I just don't want you to think of yourself as a piece of meat or something."

Raven was floored by his reasoning - it was honestly one of the sweetest things anyone had ever told her. And sure, he only meant it as a concerned friend, but it did nothing to prevent the fluttering in her stomach.

"Oh," she started awkwardly, unsure of how to express how touched she was. "Uhm, thank you, I guess."

He finally looked at her, a small, shy smile on his lips. "I know you probably don't get it much, but you're a lot more than a pretty girl, Rae. And someday, you'll find a guy who _isn't _a total moron."

She returned his smile with a bittersweet one of her own, and felt as if her heart were about to pound out of her chest as she soaked in his words.

_I'm pretty sure I've already found him..._

* * *

Since I still feel kinda bad about taking awhile to update, I've decided to post another chapter! And this one is kinda cute! Lol I hope you all enjoy your pity-chapter!

Sorry for taking more than a day to update (cough cough, impatient much? cough)

Just kidding! I love you guys!

Anywhoo, review?


	14. Sparkly

I, uhm, I don't own the Teen Titans. I w-wish I did, b-but I, uh, I don't.

* * *

The initial excitement of the three titans shopping in the mall began to die down a bit, allowing Beast Boy to let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea how hard going in public must have been for Raven - sure, they all dealt with crazy fans, but her fans were always rather creepy. And male. And if she could sense what they were thinking... well, no wonder she hadn't realized she was beautiful.

He gave her a sideways glance as they continued walking. She was too busy talking to Starfire to notice, so he allowed his eyes to linger. Yes, he stared at her often, especially during training, but he had never really _looked _at her.

She was damn near perfect. At least, to him. He knew that other people might find her darkness and creepiness off-putting (hell, his own instincts felt that way), but nobody could deny how beautiful she was. He was happy he had told her, and though he knew it probably didn't mean much coming from him, she needed to know.

He tore his eyes off of her to do another quick scan of their surroundings. His teammates were still receiving a few awestruck looks, and even he was earning a few flirty smiles from a group of teenage girls.

_What can I say? Chicks dig the ears! _he thought to himself as he smiled back. The girls giggled and looked away bashfully, and he felt a slight pain in his chest. Civilian life was a lot simpler, and he knew that he could never date a non-super. He hadn't really seen any girls that he _wanted _to date, but he didn't like the fact that he didn't get the option.

Cyborg had somehow managed to kind of see a civilian girl, but Beast Boy knew it wouldn't last - especially if Bumble Bee was still in the picture.

He suddenly felt a little jealous of his robotic best friend. He literally had girls _fighting _over him, and here Beast Boy was, _shopping _with his two female teammates, who had him so far in the friendzone, he could barely see any light. Of course, Starfire was practically a sister (and dating Robin), so there was no surprise with her. And Raven... well, Raven...

Okay, so he couldn't really bring himself to see _Raven _as a sister - especially with his primal side somewhat affecting his judgement. And she didn't have a boyfriend (though he was still wanting to find one for her), so he couldn't use that excuse, either.

Basically, he was only in the friendzone with her because, well, she was _Raven. _And someone like _Raven _could never like someone like _Beast Boy. _It was just common knowledge - no surprise there.

So why did it kind of... _hurt? _

Beast Boy quickly shook away his thoughts and started singing a children's song in his head - it was one of the techniques Mento had taught him to ward off any unwanted visitors to his mind. And though he knew Raven wouldn't _purposefully _listen to his emotions, he didn't want her to be subjected to them.

Once the repetitive tune began to annoy him, he decided to distract himself with his surroundings. Jump City's mall was quite the sight; the high ceilings, huge skylights, and beautiful fountains every twenty feet made him feel as if he were in some fancy hotel. A hotel with a ton of gift shops.

He almost didn't notice Starfire pull Raven into a store, and if it wasn't for the empath grabbing hold of the collar of his shirt, he would have probably continued down the mall, staring at the ceiling.

The alien came to a sudden stop, causing Raven to crash into her, and Beast Boy to crash into Raven.

"Oh, my sincerest apologies, friends!" Starfire smiled, seemingly unaffected by the two superheroes colliding with her.

Beast Boy quickly pulled back from Raven, not wanting to invade her personal space at the moment. She seemed to ignore his sheepish grin as she looked around the store, a grimace slowly consuming her face.

Beast Boy couldn't blame her - everything in the store was pink. And sparkly. And totally _not _Raven.

"Are we shopping for you first, Starfire?" Raven asked warily, and Beast Boy had to stifle a snort of amusement at the fear etched on her face.

"We are shopping for us both, Raven!" the orange girl exclaimed cheerfully as she began running her hands over the racks of dresses. "Do not fret, though! I realize the color of pink is not your favorite, so I had done the making of the sure that there were other colors here, as well!"

Beast Boy smiled to himself as he watched Raven cautiously make her way towards the back of the store, where there was a shocking lack of pink. He followed her, naturally, since the only reason he was tagging along was to insure the colors didn't clash.

Plus, he had a lot of free time on his hands.

"See anything that catches your eye?" he grinned, watching as she slowly inspected every gown. He was half expecting her to just grab a random one and be done with it, but apparently her girly side was making an appearance.

"Well, since you're my date, what colors do you prefer? I'm pretty open-minded - as long as it isn't _pink,_" she warned, giving him a pointed look from over her shoulder.

Beast Boy gave her his signature toothy grin. "I'm not picky - besides, _you're _the girl. I'm supposed to just go along with whatever _you _want."

She shrugged indifferently at his response, and pulled down a long, sparkly black gown.

"Black?" he questioned teasingly, earning a huff of frustration from his date.

"You said whatever _I _want! And black goes with everything!" she defended, pulling the dress close to her and giving him another glare. "And this one is sparkly, so Starfire shouldn't object too much." She paused for a few moments as her hand traced the seam line. "And I like this one..." she admitted quietly.

Beast Boy couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on his lips at her confession. If she liked the dress, then they'd get the dress.

"Well, try it on!" he insisted, pushing her towards the fitting rooms. Another look of horror passed over her face, and he had to suppress a chuckle.

"R-right now?" she asked incredulously, her eyes widening comically.

Beast Boy snorted in amusement at her obvious reluctance. "Yes, Rae! We need to make sure it fits!"

She quickly looked down at the tag. "It's my size - and on sale. I say we just get it."

Letting out a sigh, Beast Boy shook his head. "We need to make sure it looks good, too."

Raven gave him a pleading look, and he felt his breath hitch slightly. He and Starfire were masters at the puppy-dog eyes, and used them often to get their way. But he had never seen _Raven _use the technique, and it startled him slightly. Especially since she seemed to be an _expert. _

"Can't it just be a surprise? I really don't feel like parading around the store in it - and you know Starfire will demand to see me in it."

Beast Boy literally had to look away from her, but disguised it by acting like he was searching for Starfire. When he did catch a glimpse of her red hair burrowing into a rack of dresses, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Star's distracted right now, so just change quickly. You don't even have to show me - if you like it, that's all that matters."

She sighed in defeat as she backed into an open fitting room. "Fine, just make sure Starfire doesn't notice."

He nodded animatedly, which earned him an eye roll. She shut the door after her, and Beast Boy idly wondered how long it took for a girl to change into a dress. It only took him like thirty seconds to change his clothes, so he figured no more than a minute.

Five minutes later, he began to feel a little impatient. Starfire was still too busy shopping to notice what was going on, but she could potentially turn around any minute and see him standing in front of the fitting rooms.

"Rae?" he whispered, leaning against the door. "You almost done?"

There was a long pause, before he heard her let out a huff of frustration. "Uhm, I... I need your help, Beast Boy."

He felt his throat go dry at her response - what did she need help with? "W-what?"

The door opened suddenly, causing him to lose his balance momentarily. He regained it quickly, giving the empath a dirty look through the crack of the door.

"Sorry," she mumbled halfheartedly as she peeked through the door. Satisfied that no one was watching, she ushered him in. He gave her a confused look as he felt his cheeks heat up; why did she want him to go in there? Wasn't there some rule about boys in the fitting room?

He seemed to have taken too long for her liking, and the next thing he knew, he was pulled into the room.

"Rae - " he began in horror, before he lost the ability to speak.

She was standing before him, her face set in a glare and her hands on her hips - and a long, form-fitting dress on her body. It was strapless, showing off her delicate shoulders and lean arms. The top part was acting like a second-skin, fitting snugly against her body and showing off every curve, until it draped effortlessly past her hips and to the floor. If she moved even the slightest, the sparkly material would catch the light, making it look as if she were wearing the night sky.

She looked absolutely stunning.

And undeniably pissed-off.

"It's stuck," she hissed, obviously not wanting him in the room either.

He blinked slowly, trying to snap out of it. Raven would probably not appreciate the way he was staring at her.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, before turning around.

He felt his heart speed up as he took in the back of the dress, which dipped past her shoulder blades and fitted very nicely against - okay, he wasn't even going to finish that thought.

"The zipper is stuck," she elaborated, looking over her shoulder at him.

His brain finally started working again as he processed her statement. "Oh!"

He could practically see steam rising off of her as she growled in frustration. "Yes, now can you stop being completely useless and _help _me?"

He gulped nervously, before reaching his shaking hands towards the little zipper positioned at the middle of her back. He tried to avoid touching her skin as he attempted to yank down the little silver contraption, but found that it wouldn't budge. His frustration outweighing his embarrassment, he grabbed hold of the top of the dress, his glove-less fingers making contact with her skin, and used his other hand to pull on the zipper.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself when it _still _refused to budge. He started yanking it harder.

"Careful!" she hissed, looking over her shoulder again. "If I wanted to break it, I'd just use my powers!"

He rolled his eyes in frustration as he lessened his force. "Can't you just phase out of it or something?"

He watched her back arch as she let out a sigh. "I'm accustomed to keeping my clothes _on _when I phase through something, and I don't want to learn how to phase _out _of them, and risk doing that by accident during battle."

Beast Boy felt a blush consume his face as he unwillingly pictured that happening. "Well, it'd be one hell of a distraction," he mused lightly, singing another song in his head.

She let out a dry chuckle at his statement. "Something tells me Robin wouldn't be too keen on that tactic."

He opened his mouth to agree, but the zipper suddenly gave, and he found his hand traveling down towards Raven's backside. He quickly pulled away, letting go of the dress.

She was obviously unprepared, too, as the dress began sliding down her body. She recovered quickly, though, and pulled it back up before she became totally exposed.

His throat went dry again as she turned around swiftly, her hands holding up the top of her dress and a bright red blush covering her face.

"Thank you," she breathed, obviously flustered.

Beast Boy could only nod in response.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a full minute, before Raven gestured to the door. "You can go now."

He felt as if his face were on fire as he hurriedly opened the door and slipped out, the song in his head a jumbled mess. He kept telling himself that it was just Raven; that it was no big deal; that he had seen her covered in sweat as her clothes clung to her body, but those images weren't helping at the moment either. He wanted to say that it was just his primal side causing all of these feelings, but deep down, he knew that was a lie.

And that scared the shit out of him.

As his mind cleared slightly, he felt his voice return as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Uhm, R-Rae?" he stuttered nervously, his back still to the door.

There was a brief pause, before he heard her clear her throat as well. "Yes, Beast Boy?"

He smiled at the flustered sound of her voice, hoping maybe her embarrassment was outweighing his own strange feelings. Or at least matching them. Regardless, he knew that he needed to say something to maybe dispel the sudden awkwardness between them.

"I, uh... I like that dress, too."

* * *

Omg I just have way too much fun with awkward moments. Like flustered, embarrassed, nervous characters are so much fun - ugh, I need help! Lol

I hope you all enjoyed this awkward little chapter! And for those of you asking if BB and Rae will end up together, you'll have to just wait and see! I build things super-duper slow, so patience is a must when reading one of my stories! But I will say that I am planning a happy ending for this one, but that doesn't mean this story will be happy the whole time! ;P

Anywhoo, review? :D


	15. Stupid Bets and Glorious Dresses

So it looks like I don't own the Teen Titans, but I have plenty of other cool stuff! Like a couple _One Direction_ posters, this amazing smelling candle (Cranberry Mandarin - yum!) and this adorable blanket with candy-canes and penguins on it!

* * *

Raven hadn't meant for the zipper to get stuck. She had been going over several scenarios in her head to "accidentally" have Beast Boy see her in her dress, but when she couldn't come up with a believable excuse, she had decided it was a lost cause.

But then the zipper wouldn't budge.

She had half a mind to just rip it down with her powers, but she knew that it would ultimately ruin the dress. And the dress was perfect. Modest, yet snug enough to show her curves, and long enough to be appropriate for the ball. And maybe wild enough to get Beast Boy to notice her in the way she noticed him.

She was slightly conflicted in her pursuit - she wanted to be on the green teen's radar, yet she didn't want to go any further than that. Well, at least not _yet. _It was imperative that she had more control over her powers before she could pursue anything more with her teammate. But at the same time, she didn't want anyone else to catch his eye.

No, he had to want _her._

So when she found the zipper was stuck, she couldn't stop the devious grin that formed on her face.

The whole ordeal was a lot more than she expected. First of all, she had almost drowned in his embarrassment. His back and forth emotions were enough to drive her crazy, and the way they'd cut in and out made her head spin. She wasn't sure how he was able to hide his feelings, however fleetingly, and it made her curious to know what else he was hiding.

And, dare she say, a little _hopeful. _

But once he got the zipper to give, her own embarrassment clouded her senses. She hadn't expected it, and when she felt the dress slide down her body, she almost ripped the door off its hinges with her powers. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice - though that was probably due to the fact that her dress was falling off.

She hesitated opening the door again. She was back in her civilian clothes, fully dressed, and the gown was floating behind her delicately, held up by her powers. After all, she didn't want it to wrinkle.

She could feel him waiting for her on the other side of the door, and his embarrassment was slowly shifting into impatience. But what did he expect? She was a girl, after all, and she deserved the right to take her time.

Also, she wanted to guarantee that any sign of her blush had faded - his compliment had really caught her off guard. Honestly, _all _of his compliments did that.

Finally mustering up enough courage, and letting her face resume its natural look of boredom, she pulled open the door and made her way towards the register.

She could hear Beast Boy following behind her, sighing in relief.

"So you're definitely getting this one, right?"

She smirked at the slight hint of hopefulness in his voice, which made her extremely happy - obviously he _really _liked it on her.

"Yes - though I do hope they have something to keep the zipper from getting caught up."

Beast Boy let out a quiet chuckle from behind her. "Well, they better not charge you extra for it. If that's the case, I'm willing to just yank it down again," he mused, obviously joking.

Raven's smirk got even bigger as she anticipated his reaction at what she was about to say.

"Yes, well, I'm honored you're so willing to undress me, but an extra five dollars won't break the bank."

She heard him stumble behind her, and figured that he had almost knocked down a display from the look of horror the sales associate was giving them.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" the short brunette girl asked.

Raven decided it was safe to turn around, and when she did so, she couldn't stop a small giggle from slipping out. Beast Boy was trying desperately to keep a large mannequin from falling over, which would no doubt create a domino effect and knock over several more displays. She let out an amused sigh before sending her dress to the register and using her powers to upright the mannequin.

Beast Boy gave her a grateful smile as he backed away from the display.

"Thanks, Rae! I, uh, I have no idea how I managed to do that," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Raven merely arched a brow, before turning around to pay. She could hear Beast Boy _carefully _make his way towards her.

"Did you find everything okay?"

Raven nodded politely to the sales girl, who was quickly ringing up the dress.

"This is absolutely beautiful! Do you need any shoes to go with? We just got in these amazing heels, and they'd look spectacular with this dress! We also have this gorgeous jewelry line from the designer, and I have a feeling that you're a diamond kind of girl!"

Raven forced herself to smile kindly as the associate went on and on.

"Actually," she interrupted quietly, glancing at the girl's name tag momentarily, "Peggy, I was hoping you had something for the zipper? It seems to get caught easily, and I don't want to damage the dress every time I decide to wear it."

Peggy gasped dramatically, giving the accused zipper a horrified look. "Oh dear! Well, we don't sell anything in particular, but we work with an amazing tailor who could probably install a new one, though I'm not sure how long it'd take - or how much sewing she'd have to do. Hmm."

Raven felt her patience thin as she waited for the sales girl to continue with more options - there was no way in hell she was _paying _for a girl to tear up her perfect dress.

"Oh! Actually, what my mother would always do was rub candle wax on the part that's stuck! It always did the trick!"

Raven was slightly skeptical. "Really?"

Peggy nodded animatedly as she removed the ink-tag from the dress.

"That's great, Rae! You have a butt-load of candles!" Beast Boy grinned, obviously relieved that there was a quick, _free _way to solve their problem.

Raven nodded cautiously, still wary of such a simple solution.

"Alright, your total comes to 247 dollars and 32 cents! Would you like a garment bag?"

Raven gave the girl a small smile. "Yes, please." She then pulled out her communicator, which had been clipped to her waist-band, and opened a small compartment where she kept her money.

She jumped slightly when Beast Boy leaned close to her to whisper in her ear.

"Dude! I thought you said it was on sale?"

She rolled her eyes at his fundamental misjudging of what a dress on sale costs. "It _is _on sale, Beast Boy. About fifty percent _off, _actually."

He scoffed quietly as he leaned away from her, giving the now-bagged dress an accusing look. "And she wanted us to buy shoes!"

Raven rolled her eyes at her dramatic teammate as she paid for her dress - with exact change, of course.

Peggy smiled cheerfully as she deposited the money in the register, before handing the bagged dress to Raven. "Have a great day!"

The two titans mumbled a quick "You, too," before turning around in search of Starfire.

"Okay, I saw her over by the 'new arrivals' rack when you were still changing, so I think she's probably deep within its depths... struggling for air..."

Raven smacked her green teammate lightly on his shoulder as she made her way towards the new arrivals.

"Ow!" he cried defiantly as she heard him follow suit. "Gee, Rae - if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually _enjoyed _shopping."

Turning around to face him, she was momentarily caught off-guard at how close he was as her nose almost knocked into his. Shaking away her dazed feeling, she kept her position as her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Good thing you know better," she growled, though she could tell he knew she wasn't serious.

Regardless, he gave her a sheepish laugh as he took a small step away from her. "Hehe, y-yeah."

Satisfied that she made her point, Raven turned back around, just in time to see the red hair of her alien teammate pop up from behind a rack.

Starfire obviously saw them too as she gave them both her famously cheerful smile. "Friends! I see you have made your purchase!"

Raven glanced over to the bag floating beside her, somewhat worried that Starfire would demand to see her wear it. Thankfully, the alien was too preoccupied with the pile of dresses in her arms.

"I am off to the room of fitting - please join me while I search for the dress of perfection!"

She quickly flew towards the fitting room as Raven and Beast Boy followed behind, both of them sighing in exasperation.

"Well, I'm guessing we'll be here for a while," the changeling mused.

Raven groaned in impatience - she could only handle shopping for so long. "Unless there's an alert. _Please _let there be an alert," she muttered, taking a seat on the small bench provided beside the fitting rooms. Beast Boy quickly sat down beside her, obviously grateful for the rest, and not use to the amount of walking and standing that shopping required.

"Ten bucks says it's gonna be a pink dress," he muttered, leaning towards her ear slightly.

Raven ignored the pleasant chills that ran down her body as she gave him an annoyed look. "Of course it's pink - that's the most absurd bet I have ever heard. Besides, you don't even _have _ten bucks."

Beast Boy's ears lowered at the truth in Raven's words. "I was just trying to... ugh, never mind," he grumbled, slumping in his chair and crossing his arms.

Raven rolled her eyes at him. _Azar, he's pouting. _

"We can bet our chore duties, but there has to be more thought put into our guesses. For example, two weeks of dish duty says that her dress will be sparkly, pink, and adorned with a bow."

Raven watched as Beast Boy perked up immediately. "Hah, you're on!" he grinned, before tapping his finger against his chin in thought. "Huh, I say, ruffly, _light __pink_, and with one of those toga-like strap thingies!"

Raven arched a brow curiously at his description. "You mean a one-shouldered dress?"

He nodded confidently, giving her a small smirk. "Yep - toga strap thingy."

Raven gave up on correcting him, just in time for Starfire to burst out of the room, dressed in a gown that was exactly like Raven had described.

"Is this not the most glorious gown in existence?!"

* * *

Awe, BB and Rae-Rae are bonding! How cute :3

And let me tell you, I have to be Peggy at work all day, every day - to the point where I get annoyed with myself. But it's hilarious when customers are just as perky as me, 'cuz we'll both start jumping in excitement at how adorable the clothes are!

But anyway, the Peggy's of the world _do _exist, so shoppers: beware! D:

In more BBRae-related news, this story is almost to one hundred followers! And I've never had one hundred followers before! It'd be so amazing if we got to one hundred before my next update (which is kind of asking a lot, since I'm probably updating later today, but whateves), so please, follow away! And fave! Favorites are amazing too!

And don't forget to review - I just _looooove _reviews! :D


	16. Tug-of-War

I know I don't actually own the Teen Titans, but how about we pretend I do, for this stories sake?

* * *

Beast Boy smiled to himself as he made his way towards the common room. He and the girls had gotten back to the tower about an hour ago, and he used that time to take a quick shower (mid-day showers were his favorite) and change out of his civvies and into his uniform (just in case).

He also thought of subtle ways to gloat in front of Raven, since he ended up winning their little bet.

Starfire had scared him when she first announced her love for Raven's guess, but he felt relief wash over him when she did the same with every dress after. In the end, she picked a light pink, ruffly dress with two straps. It wasn't exactly what he had guessed, but it was close enough. Though Raven _did _point out the fact that it had a giant bow in the back. In the end, they settled on trading two weeks of his dish duty for one week of her bathroom duty. Because seriously - how hard could it be to clean the bathroom?

Plus, he didn't want Raven's loss to sway her opinion on doing stupid little bets with him - it was a ton of fun just sitting there and making fun of some of Starfire's more... _extravagant _picks when her back was turned. Who knew Raven's sarcasm and cynical views could be so hilarious?

He always liked spending time with her, but now it was different; he felt like he _needed _to spend time with her. He _needed _to talk to her, make her laugh. It was like a drug that he was slowly getting addicted to, and he had no plans for recovery.

Besides, why would someone ever want to recover from such a beautiful friendship?

He truly cherished all of his friendships, but with Raven, it was different. He had worked so hard to get her to open up, and now that she finally had - it was amazing. _She _was amazing.

He stopped walking suddenly as that thought passed through his head; _friends _didn't think about each other like that. _Friends _called each other awesome, not _amazing. _He couldn't let himself think about Raven like that - it would only lead to disappointment. And a hell of a lot of confusion.

He continued towards the common room, its doors only several feet away. Shaking away those troubling thoughts, he went back to focusing on how he'd gloat.

The doors slid open, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning. His target was sitting cross-legged peacefully on the couch, reading her book and sipping her tea. She was the epitome of relaxation and calm.

And he knew just how to ruin it.

Sprinting towards the couch, he congratulated himself on his perfect landing beside her.

"Raaaaaeee!"

He smiled deviously as she closed her eyes in frustration, setting her tea onto the coffee table. He was pleasantly surprised that it hadn't spilled - burning her wasn't the best way to hold his victory over her.

"Beast Boy."

He found her greeting rather mundane, and figured that a champion like him deserved something a little more extravagant.

"Awe, come on, Rae! Is that really how you greet your superiors?"

She opened one eye at his statement, giving him a sideways glance. "Superiors?" she repeated dully.

Beast Boy gave her his signature grin, which she merely returned with her trademark glare, opening her other eye to intensify it.

"Superiors." This time it wasn't a question, and he suddenly felt a feeling of dread wash over him at her monotone voice. Maybe _superiors _wasn't the right word.

"Well, I-I mean - "

"Don't spare my feelings, Beast Boy," she interrupted dryly as she closed her book, giving him her full attention. "After all, it's beneath you. _I'm _beneath you."

He definitely should have reconsidered his word choice. Raven didn't take too lightly to being bossed around - hell, even _Robin _had trouble telling her what to do.

"I didn't mean _I _am superior to you, in that way... that you're thinking..." He realized bitterly how lame his excuse was, but he couldn't find a good one for the life of him. He was just destined to put his foot in his mouth.

And he always seemed to do that when talking to Raven.

It wasn't his usual, flustered-yet-feigning confidence act that he would put on with a pretty girl; no, this was just a total loss of cognitive thinking, that often resulted with him in the doghouse, or even the bay.

And they were only _friends. _

Beast Boy suddenly found himself reconsidering his notion to set her up with Aqualad - it'd be hilarious to see the Atlantean try to sweet-talk his way out of an argument with the empath.

But putting a little more thought into it, he involuntarily shuddered at how fish-boy would try to make it up to her.

Yeah, no. No fish-boy for Raven.

He snapped back to reality when Raven cleared her throat impatiently. With a subtle blush staining his cheeks, he realized he had been staring at her awkwardly while she waited for his reply.

Or was he waiting for hers? What were they even talking about?

"Well, this has been a riveting conversation, but I must excuse myself." She stood from the couch slowly, tucking her book under her arm and using her powers to lift her tea towards her hand.

And she called _him _lazy.

He watched as she deposited her mug into the sink, immediately rinsing it and setting it in the already loaded dishwater.

Beast Boy suddenly found himself regretting their deal - dish duty wasn't _that _bad.

He hadn't even realized he had followed her until she turned back around, jumping in shock at his proximity and dropping her book.

"Azar! You scared the life out of me!" she sighed, clutching her chest with her hand. Beast Boy smiled sheepishly as he bent down to retrieve her book.

"Sorry, Rae."

She waved away his apology as she attempted to take her book, but he held on firmly. She gave him a questioning glance, and Beast Boy felt a thousand questions run through his mind as he tried to find something to say.

"Do you like me?"

Her face adopted a look of horror at his words, before shifting into bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

He felt like smacking himself with her book, but refrained from it. He needed an answer.

"Do you like me, Rae?" he repeated, but when she still looked confused, he decided to elaborate. "I mean, like, sometimes it seems like you can't stand me, but then we'll have our moments, like earlier today, where I feel like we're best friends." He paused slightly, feeling his chest tighten uncomfortably for no reason, before continuing. "But then I'll say something stupid, and you'll be all sarcastic, and I feel like we're back to square one...

"I feel like... like you don't like me."

He watched as a look of understanding passed over her features, causing her expression to soften. It wasn't necessarily pity that he saw; more like... relief?

"You know how hard it is for me to express myself properly - especially when it comes to... friendships."

He waited patiently for her to elaborate, but she seemed content with her explanation as she attempted to tug the book from his grasp.

But Beast Boy wasn't satisfied.

"But I thought everything was easier after the whole apocalypse thingy?" _Smooth, Beast Boy. Bring up the end of the world - that _she _almost caused._

He wanted to smack himself again, and almost would have if it wasn't for her answering him.

"Yes, it's easier, but I still have to maintain some control. Just because Trigon no longer has an influence over me, doesn't mean I'm not still part demon." She paused briefly, and he could see the longing it her eyes - the longing to be _normal. _

"But that doesn't mean I'll always be this way," she continued, her voice less heavy. "Someday, I'll be able to laugh and cry, without my powers going haywire, or having to schedule in an extra meditation session. Someday, I'll be... _human._"

Beast Boy felt a pang in his heart at her words. He couldn't imagine what it was like to have to always be so guarded, and to only have allotted times to feel. She literally had to schedule in her happiness, and he realized bitterly that his pestering of her probably ate up a lot of her time.

He suddenly felt like a real jerk.

"I didn't realize how hard it was for you," he admitted, feeling his shoulders slump in shame. And he called himself _her friend. _

Surprisingly, she gave him a small smile. "I'm sure you can relate, what with your animal instincts. They can probably drive you crazy."

He felt even more ashamed at her deluded insight of him. Sure, the instincts could get rather annoying, but they didn't stop him from smiling. If anything, they made him a bit antsy.

His primal side, on the other hand... yeah, that part of him took a little more to control.

Raven's smile slowly faltered, and he realized that she was most likely sensing his emotions.

"I hadn't meant to tread onto a sensitive subject - " she began timidly, though he quickly cut her off with the wave of his hand.

"Nah, Rae - it's got nothing to do with you." _Well, nothing to do with what you _said, _anyway, _he thought bitterly. In all honestly, it had _everything _to do with her. But he didn't want her to know that - _ever. _

She nodded slowly, and he could tell that she was still skeptical.

Deciding that their conversation was getting way too heavy, he backtracked a bit.

"You never answered my question, though," he smirked, laughing internally at her quizzical expression.

"Hmm?"

He rolled his eyes fondly. "Do you like me, Rae?"

Again, she looked taken aback, and he could see the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. He felt bad for pushing her again, but her reactions were just too good.

"I thought we had previously established our friendship," she deadpanned, her fingers curling around the edges of her book and giving it a light tug.

He held on firmly, his lips curling into a sneer. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean you like me! You might just feel obligated to be my friend, since we've been through hell and back!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he knew that if she really wanted to, she could rip the book from him with her powers. But he also knew she wouldn't risk ripping her book in the process. She was stuck.

"I feel no obligation to be your friend, Beast Boy," she replied in somewhat of a growl. "Nor do I feel any obligation to verbally affirm our friendship. After all, doesn't the saying go 'actions speak louder than words'?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes again at her tactic of throwing in big words - she did that whenever she wanted him to back off. But not today - nope, he was getting an answer.

"I'm a simple man, Rae - and the simplicity of you confirming that you do, in fact, like me - and I don't mean _tolerate_; actual, honest-to-god _like _- will cause me to release your book, and you can be on your way."

He watched as her knuckles turned white and her eyes glazed over in fury - he was _really _pushing her this time, but he couldn't give up. She was so close to _admitting _their friendship aloud, and he couldn't imagine another opportunity like this arising again.

But suddenly, her anger was replaced by a sense of calm, and her stoic demeanor returned as she regarded him lazily.

"Yes, Beast Boy. I _do _like you. We _are _friends."

With a triumphant grin, he released his hold on her book, which she quickly tucked under her arm. She made a move to pass him, but he stuck his arm in the way, blocking her escape.

"Do you like me more than Cyborg?"

The bored look on her face was incredibly misleading as he felt the floor beneath him suddenly disappear.

* * *

It looks like BB is kind of starting to possibly see the slight indication that he might be somewhat sort-of crushing on Raven... maybe?

So here's my update that I promised - and guess what? This story has reach 100 follows! Omg that it just beyond amazing! You guys are beyond amazing! Thank you so much to every single one of you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! You guys keep me writing!

Anywhoo, how about leaving a few more? ;D


	17. All Talk and Hair Loss

Oooh, Teen Titans. Dem rights, doe... I don't got 'em.

* * *

The triumphant smirk that found its way onto Raven's face disappeared immediately when the half-robot across the room cleared his throat to announce his presence. She turned around swiftly, taking in his knowing grin and nonchalant demeanor.

"Well, that was cute."

Her eyes narrowed instantly at his choice of words.

"I do hope you aren't referring to me, Cyborg," she deadpanned, before a coy smile flitted against her lips. "Or Beast Boy..."

The robotic titan rolled his eye in amusement as he sauntered towards the kitchen. "Nah, BB's not really my type," he replied, giving her a pointed look. "Though it seems somebody I know might feel differently about him."

Raven tilted her head in mock-confusion. "Robin? Oh dear, this is going to be hard to explain to Starfire."

Cyborg let out a hearty laugh, obviously not expecting her response, and allowing Raven a small opportunity to escape back to her room.

"Hold up, Rae."

But she obviously wasn't quick enough.

She turned around slowly, giving him her most convincing look of boredom. She was suddenly cursing herself for forgoing her cloak as her hand absently reached for her hood.

"I'm sorry, I had assumed our conversation was over," she replied dryly.

He shook his head confidently, and she felt her skin crawl as he again directed a knowing look at her.

"You know BB knows how to hide things, right?"

His statement confused her - she figured Beast Boy had some deep-rooted instincts to borrow and bury objects, but she hadn't realized they were surfacing. She idly wondered if that's why all their socks had been disappearing.

Cyborg must have mistook her silence for surprise as a wicked grin split his face in two.

"He's just hiding it, Rae."

Raven was now thoroughly flabbergasted - what was Beast Boy hiding? If it was another one of her spell books -

"He likes you, but he's suppressing it."

She felt her heart stop momentarily as she soaked in his words. Never had she felt so stupid - of course Cyborg was talking about the changeling's emotions. He doesn't even wear socks.

"He is, hmm?" She couldn't stop the amused smirk from creeping onto her face; did Cyborg _really _believe she hadn't thought of that herself? Or thoroughly dismissed it when she realized that - though he wasn't as dumb as he looked - Beast Boy wasn't capable of outsmarting her like that?

It was insulting, really.

The half-robot apparently failed to pick up on the sarcasm in her voice as he nodded animatedly, obviously pleased with himself.

"Yep - Mento taught him how to block out any unwanted visitors in his mind."

Raven arched her brow curiously at this new development. Though she didn't believe what her teammate said to be true, it was interesting to hear that the green teen had been previously trained on evading any attempts from psychics - and, apparently, empaths.

"That is a very interesting theory, Cyborg," she began slowly, trying not to sound too condescending; after all, this _was _her area of expertise. "But I think you are overlooking the fact that I am a very powerful empath - and hiding your thoughts is much easier to do than hiding your emotions."

Again, her teammate looked unimpressed with her unwavering logic. "If he doesn't know it's there, then you won't know it's there."

Honestly, his persistence of the matter was getting rather irritating. Raven suppressed a growl as she glared at her older brother.

"Then, do tell, how _you _know it's there."

She cringed internally at the hostility in her voice, but luckily her robotic teammate was used to her mood swings.

"I know everything," he said simply, only a hint of a grin tugging at his lips.

Raven rolled her eyes in exasperation, suddenly feeling the impending need to meditate. Or blow off some steam by blowing up the training course. Or the T-car.

"I can't seem to stress this enough," she started slowly, her teeth clenched in frustration. "I do not feel that way about Beast Boy. Period. Nor does he feel that way about me. Period."

Cyborg opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a challenging glare.

"And as Beast Boy's self-proclaimed 'best friend', I find it odd that you would share this information with me in the first place. I had always assumed that matters of the heart were kept secret, especially when dealing with unrequited love..." She let her words trail off lazily, the stricken look on his face all the confirmation she needed to know she had said the right thing. Cyborg wasn't often the one to blab secrets (honestly, that was more Starfire's forte), and his reveal of Beast Boy's crush on her (despite his lack of evidence, coupled with her knowledge that it was untrue) was a form of betrayal on his part, that he undoubtedly committed.

"B-but I was only - "

"Everyone makes mistakes, Cyborg," she interrupted curtly. She began to leave the room, giving him one last look over her shoulder as the common room doors slid shut.

She was fairly certain the look on his face was defeat, and she couldn't help but smile.

Her secret was safe - at least, for now.

* * *

Raven opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the darkness that surrounded her. She usually liked to meditate with a candle or two, but it seemed as though they had gone out. Which was incredibly strange.

She landed gracefully on her bed, a strange feeling of apprehension seeping into her bones. Her meditation had gone well, and she had been able to sort through some of her more troubling emotions, but she wasn't feeling her usual sense of calm. Something was gnawing at her, and she felt a foreign, antsy feeling.

Raven never felt antsy.

The sudden knock on her door made her heart rate spike and a random object in her room implode, though it was still too dark to see what it was. She jumped to her feet quickly, turning her overhead light on with the flick of her wrist as she reached her door.

It slid open almost soundlessly, revealing the nervous expression of her alien teammate.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief - she was just picking up on Starfire's feelings. It happened rarely, but she'd find herself randomly anticipating a Friday night, only to find out that Robin had planned a date with the redhead. Or she'd feel a growing sense of despair, and later hear the hushed voices of the two arguing.

Starfire had no reservations when it came to her feelings, and Raven _really _envied that - when she wasn't being subjected to them.

"Starfire?"

The alien only responded with a sad look, which told Raven that the impending feat of girl-talk was well on its way. She sighed warily, motioning for her teammate to come in.

Starfire complied immediately, dragging her feet towards the empath's bed. It was a bad sign when the alien wasn't flying.

"I fear that Robin and I are doing the drifting of the part," she muttered tiredly, before face-planting onto Raven's dark blue comforter.

The pale girl let out another sigh as she closed her door and followed suit, only to flop down onto her back beside her teammate.

"What happened this time?" It was a draining routine that the two female titans would follow at least once or twice a month. Despite the boy wonder's ever-growing soft-spot for the beautiful alien, his own deep-rooted reservations of getting too close would cause him to pull away, which Starfire didn't take too kindly to.

And regardless of the seemingly mundane task of comforting the orange girl, Raven found herself burdened with the forbidden feeling of hope that maybe, one day, she would be the one venting to Starfire about a certain green changeling.

But now was not the time for fantasies - she needed to be a good best friend and listen.

It was the same story Starfire told every time they were lying on Raven's bed.

She'd tell Robin that he's over-working himself.

He'd say it's his job.

She'd tell him it was affecting their relationship.

He'd say the city had to come first.

She'd cry.

He'd tell her that she knew what she was getting into.

She'd cry more.

He'd feel bad, but only show indifference.

Then she'd end up in the empath's room, _still crying_, while Raven wondered idly if she could heal Robin's fingers if she snapped his laptop closed on them.

But whenever she voiced aloud those thoughts, Starfire would only sigh wistfully, and say that she didn't wish any physical harm on her boyfriend.

So they usually just put itching powder in his hair-gel.

Was it immature? Maybe; but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And that woman usually had friends to back her up.

Starfire giggled as Raven suggested mixing in some hair-removal cream as well.

"Though it would be a sufficient way for us to enact the revenge, I prefer my boyfriend _with _the hair."

"Cyborg seems to rock the 'bald is beautiful' look," Raven pointed out in jest.

The orange girl only giggled again, the tears running down her cheeks long forgotten.

"Yes, well, despite Cyborg's beauty, I am quite particular to Robin's hair - that is, when it isn't drenched in the gel."

Raven shrugged indifferently from beside the alien. Even though she felt a powerful feeling of envy towards the beautiful girl, she also felt a strong sense of friendship. And her friendship with Starfire was something she held close to her heart, despite her seemingly indifferent attitude.

Glancing at the clock beside her bed, Raven realized that they had spent the good part of an hour lounging around on her bed, meaning Robin's grand gesture for forgiveness was due at any moment.

"Well, the boy blunder is bound to be showing up at your door any minute now," Raven mused contently as her teammate sat up.

"Oh, you are correct! I must be off!" Starfire cried, before pulling Raven on her feet and into a bone-crushing hug. "My gratitude is unwavering for you, friend!"

Raven merely went limp in the alien's arms, since struggling often resulted in bruised tissue and hairline fractures. "A-anytime, S-Star," she managed weakly.

Starfire set her down gently, and with her usual, cheerful smile, she flew out of Raven's room and towards her own.

The empath watched with a small smirk as the door hissed shut, leaving her alone in her room.

She remained standing beside her bed for a moment longer, before deciding to figure out what she had managed to break. Walking towards her vanity, she realized bitterly that it had been none other than the ruby-red lipstick the alien had gifted to her.

The silver container was nothing more than scraps of plastic, while the lipstick itself was reduced to small chunks.

She heaved a mournful sigh as she scooped up the mess with her powers and deposited it in the small trash under her desk.

"So much for getting Beast Boy's attention," she mumbled to herself, before another round of knocking on her door caused her to almost blow up the trash bin.

Raven felt a small pull on her heart, wondering if Robin had failed to show up, and Starfire was here to cry some more. Not even bothering to reach out with her powers, she swiftly made her way to the door and opened it...

...Only to be greeted by the sheepish smile of her green teammate.

"Hey, Rae," he grinned, rubbing his arm nervously.

She merely arched a brow to disguise her pleasant surprise.

"Beast Boy," she responded as usual, relishing in the way he rolled his eyes in mock-frustration.

"Must you always greet me in such a clinical way?" he whined playfully.

She narrowed her eyes good-naturedly. "_Hello_, Beast Boy," she amended sarcastically.

He flashed her a triumphant grin. "Thank you - that's much better."

She rolled her eyes fondly at how simple it was to please him. "I trust there is a point to this visit?"

The changeling shook his head in amusement. "Wow, I can't even stop by to say hello, huh?" he mused, again gracing her with his signature, toothy smile.

She held back a delighted grin of her own, immensely pleased that the earlier awkwardness of the conversation wasn't seeping through into this one.

"Wait," she deadpanned, earning a curious look from her teammate. "Don't tell me... is dinner ready?"

His smile morphed into an unimpressed frown, though the mirth remained in his eyes.

"You're not supposed to know that, Rae. I make a point of telling you that everyday for a reason. Because you're _not _supposed to know!"

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics as she made her way down the hall. She knew he _did _make a point to tell her - but she knew he wasn't telling her the real reason.

Suddenly, that gnawing feeling she felt in her stomach earlier returned, only she recognized it as her own. And though she told herself not to, she couldn't help but wonder if what Cyborg had been saying earlier was, in fact, true.

* * *

Another chapter!

So I am obviously making most of the focus on BB's and Rae's relationship, but I decided to add in a little more dynamic with the other titans. This story has been severely lacking any interaction with Starfire and Robin, so I'm attempting to fix that. Though this particular chapter didn't have much Robin, I am planning on expanding his friendships with the two further, though I may focus more on his and BB's, since I haven't really done that.

Anywhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review?


	18. Shattered

I shall steal the rights to the Teen Titans... at a later time! Muahahaha

* * *

Dinner was somewhat enjoyable, due to Cyborg making an _actual _salad this time, along with some bread rolls, which Beast Boy inhaled. It wasn't very often that he got to actually enjoy his meal alongside his friends - either he was stuck in the kitchen cooking up his own dinner, or picking at whatever excuse of a side dish the robotic titan made.

Either Cyborg was in an exceptionally good mood this evening, or he just forgot to add bacon bits to the salad. But Beast Boy wasn't complaining.

After dinner, his alien teammate had suggested watching a movie, which everyone - including Raven - had agreed to. Starfire had even gone out of her way and picked out an action movie (with a romantic subplot, naturally).

Robin had settled down on one end of the couch, with the alien tucked up alongside him. Cyborg claimed his usual spot in the middle, leaving the other side open for the changeling himself, and Raven.

Beast Boy found it a bit awkward sitting there; he was use to the empath denying their offer, leaving him with the arm of the couch to lean on. But now _she _was leaning on the arm, and he couldn't very well lean on _her. _

Well, he couldn't do it, and then expect to _live. _

So he was stuck in his new spot, his legs propped up against the coffee table, and his arms lying limply on either side of him. It was weird.

But Raven was _actually _spending time with them, so he was down for the cause.

"Oh, yeah! Janie Jergens - is she not the hottest movie star of all time?"

Beast Boy regarded Cyborg's words carefully as he observed the main girl in the movie. She was incredibly attractive, with her long, dark hair and skin-tight costume. But something about her face made Beast Boy do a double take. She was exceptionally pretty, and he felt like he had seen her before -

"She totally looks like Raven!" Robin pointed out gleefully, earning an audible groan from the half-robot.

"Oh, come on! Now all I'm ever gonna see is Rae!" Cyborg cried, obviously upset with the idea. Beast Boy understood vaguely - the robotic titan considered the empath a sister.

And taking Robin's point into consideration, Ms. Jergens _did _have a striking resemblance to their resident half demon - though Beast Boy found Raven to be much more naturally pretty - in a friendly way, of course.

"I have to disagree," Raven announced, giving the actress a scrutinizing look. "Her hair is obviously longer, and her face is nearly flawless. And my eyebrows are much thicker."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes fondly at her comparisons. "That's just 'cuz she has a butt-load of extensions and makeup on!" He then leaned in really close to the pale girl's face, taking a quick sniff and earning a bewildered look. "And you have no makeup on!" he announced.

He hadn't realized how close he still was until she began to lean away from him. He immediately blushed a crimson color, retreating from her space.

"What's with you and your fascination of sniffing me?" she deadpanned, though she, too, had the faintest hint of a blush.

Beast Boy only gave her a sheepish smile. He could hear Cyborg on the other side of him, snickering to himself.

"I don't know," the changeling replied awkwardly, though it was a lie. He knew _several_ reasons why he always sniffed Raven - but only one was of _his _accord. And it was because, despite her demonic heritage, she always smelt kind of... natural.

She didn't drown herself in perfumes and colognes like Starfire and Robin, nor did she smell of machinery like Cyborg. She used organic soaps, and her shampoo only had the slightest scent of lilac. She occasionally wore a subtle, jasmine-scented perfume, but he could tell it was actual jasmine extract used, and she never went overboard with it. She smelt clean and fresh and natural. And his nose thanked her for it. _  
_

But telling her all that would sound incredibly creepy, so he kept it to himself. After all, she already knew about the tea thing. And even he could admit that it was weird.

Raven was still regarding him skeptically, obviously unsatisfied with his answer. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you stopped."

He nodded in response, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed. Not wanting her to sense it, he began singing another song in his head, and let out a quiet sigh of relief when she turned back to the movie.

Though now with the irritating song stuck in his head, he couldn't pay attention to the plot. Instead, he just focused on the main actress, comparing her expressions with the empath's beside him.

Ms. Jergens was definitely more emotional than Raven, though because of their similarities, he found it seemed forced. And he couldn't explain why his breath caught in his throat when the two leads kissed.

He coughed awkwardly to clear his airway, earning curious looks from the titans beside him.

"Sorry," he mumbled feebly.

As soon as the credits began to roll, Raven immediately stood from her seat and nodded goodnight. Next was Cyborg, who let out a lengthy yawn and rubbed Beast Boy's hair playfully.

The changeling merely rolled his eyes, before stretching quickly and leaving the cuddling couple alone in the common room.

As he walked down the dark corridor towards his bedroom, he was suddenly grateful they hadn't watched a horror movie. Though he still loved the genre, he couldn't help but picture the terrifying night when Raven's powers turned the tower into a haunted house.

Trying to suppress an involuntary shudder as he rounded the corner, he ran right into the empath herself.

Proud that he hadn't shrieked in fright, nor knocked her over, he quickly steadied himself by grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Ow, ow, ow! Damn it, Beast Boy!"

He peered through the darkness, trying to get a clear vision of her face, which was contorted in discomfort.

"What - " he began, only to be cut off by a growl of frustration on her end.

"Retract the claws, please," she deadpanned.

He felt his face heat up in embarrassment - apparently he was more frightened by her sudden appearance than he initially thought.

"Shit! Sorry, Rae!" His nails immediately returned to their normal length as he pulled the girl closer to detect the scent of blood. Thankfully, he hadn't broke the skin.

She let out a huff of exasperation as she pushed him away. "I thought you were done with the sniffing thing."

Again, he quickly sang a song in his head to hide his mortification. "I-I was just making sure - "

"I know what you were doing."

He felt the words die in his throat at the clipped way she responded to him.

"I'm sorry - "

"You have nothing to apologize for - other than your total disregard for my personal space."

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the hall, he could see Raven pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration.

The feeling of worry quickly overtook his embarrassment as he gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

She merely nodded her response, before maneuvering past him and heading back towards the common room.

"I forgot my book," she explained from over her shoulder. "And I'm just mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to see - you did leave Robin and Starfire alone, didn't you?"

Understanding hit Beast Boy like a tidal wave as he imagined what Raven was about to walk in on. "Yikes."

He heard her quiet, refined chuckle from down the hall, before the common room doors hissed opened and flooded the corridor with light. He watched as her silhouette descended the stairs, before the doors shut again, leaving him in darkness.

"Yikes," he repeated to himself, vaguely wondering if that was an actual word. He couldn't tell if Raven had been laughing with him or at him, and not wanting to dwell on it, he quickly shook away the thoughts as he continued towards his own room.

* * *

He awoke the next morning when a stream of sunlight slowly trailed across his face until it was directly in his eyes. Throwing his arm over his face, he let out a groan.

He was definitely _not _a morning person.

Lying in bed for a few extra minutes, he began to contemplate the rest of his day. If there were no alerts, he figured a few rounds of video-games with Cyborg would be a good start, but only after a quick breakfast.

By the time he'd finish kicking the robotic titan's butt, Raven would come in for her afternoon cup of tea before her afternoon meditation, meaning he'd have exactly seven minutes to annoy her, before having to wait til after their afternoon training.

He let out another groan at that thought - Robin _loved _his Sunday training. For some reason, crime was sparse on Sundays, meaning the boy wonder would demand that his team put in all their effort. It was usually combat training - which Beast Boy detested.

It was hard enough trying to fight hand-to-hand with Cyborg, and he could only imagine how _awkward _it'd be with Raven - especially after... _oh god._

He had pushed aside the embarrassing incident that had happened during their _last _training session, but the thought of being back in the training room with the empath pulled it back to the forefront of his mind. _  
_

Thank god she'd have to wear her cloak this time - he couldn't imagine trying to pin her down if she were dressed in anything else.

He was also thankful that she hadn't _truly _called him out on what had happened last time. She had hinted that she knew, but he wouldn't be surprised if the multiple head injuries she sustained helped her to forget. At least, he _hoped _she was able to forget. Raven wasn't one to take lightly to a guy ogling her, and he had seen her cold, deadpan wrath on several occasions, when less-than-desirable fan-boys actually bucked up the courage to approach her.

Beast Boy always felt incredibly protective of his teammates, and his primal influence only amplified it when it came to Raven. And there was no way in hell his primal, and even _human _side, would ever let some scumbag fan-boy take advantage of her. But she did make things easier on him by flat-out refusing all their advances.

It was bittersweet, though. His mind was at ease with the thought that he wouldn't have to worry about Raven staying out all night with some dude, but he also felt a little bad for her. She was a healthy, intelligent, and incredibly beautiful eighteen year old woman, whose only taste of romance was from some piece-of-shit dragon pretending to be a wizard. Beast Boy really hoped that the experience hadn't tainted all romance for her, 'cuz he'd hate to see her end up alone.

Though he would hate it even more if she ended up with a guy who was unworthy of her awesomeness.

Finally finding the strength to pull himself out of bed, he hopped down to the floor, his landing surprisingly graceful. Reaching his arms above him as he stretched, he was delighted to see his finger tips a good two feet above his top bunk. Sure, he was still the shortest _dude_ on the team, but his latest growth spurt left him three inches taller than the empath, who reluctantly adopted the title of "shorty" for about a month, before she casually mentioned how funny it would be if the gamestation imploded.

Needless to say, Beast Boy and Cyborg had gone back to calling her Rae, which only earned a glare.

The changeling let out a small chuckle at the memory, before the sound of shattering glass pulled him from his mirth. He quickly rushed out of his bedroom, ignoring the fact that he was still in his pajamas (which only consisted of a pair of grey sweats), and sprinted down the hall towards the noise.

Rounding the corner, he was faced with the peculiar sight of Raven glaring daggers at the now light bulb-less socket.

He smiled at the look of frustration on her face, and wondered what had caused her powers to spike.

"Chill, Rae - it's not like any of those lights worked anyway," he mused, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall.

She rolled her eyes, obviously displeased with his presence this early in the morning.

"I'm aware of that, Beast Boy - " she began, giving him a pointed look, before her eyes widened and the bulb further down the hall burst as well.

She quickly turned away from him, pinching the bridge of her nose and muttering under her breath too quietly for him to understand.

He gave her a worried look, pushing himself off of the wall and inching closer to her. "You okay?"

She held her other hand out in front of her, signalling for him to stop.

"I'm fine - I just need to meditate."

Beast Boy nodded slowly, watching as she scooped up the broken glass with her powers and began making her way towards her room.

Her frazzled state was a little disheartening, and he realized bitterly that annoying her today would be out of the question - unless he wanted to end up like one of those light bulbs.

* * *

Another chapter! :P

And another random question! Do any of you guys have a celebrity look-alike? I apparently have a very common face, since I've been told I look like several different actresses (though none of them look like each other lol)! I've gotten Selena Gomez, America Ferrera (Ugly Betty lmao), Victoria Justice, and even Kim Kardashian (though it might just be my hair haha)! So do any of you guys have a famous doppelganger waltzing around on the red carpet?

Anywhoo, back to the story - it seems like BB is still totally clueless, but something strange is going on with Rae-Rae! What could it be? Is she okay? D:

Leave a review?


	19. Focus

_"You'll own the Teen Titans one day..."_ I whisper to myself as I watch reruns of the show and cry myself to sleep at noon.

* * *

Raven leaned against her closed door as she let out a labored sigh. _She _was the one who was suppose to make Beast Boy flustered, yet there he was, waltzing around the tower half-naked. It was like he _wanted _her to implode.

Letting out another sigh, she dragged herself to her bed and threw herself onto it. As her nose welcomed the scent of her freshly washed sheets, the voice in her head gently reminded her that meditation would be more productive. But she was tired of meditating - and no matter how much time she spent doing it, her powers were still unmanageable. Especially after Cyborg put that stupid thought in her head.

_"He likes you, but he's suppressing it."_

She knew it couldn't be true; Beast Boy was a little absent-minded, but there was no way he felt that way about her, yet wasn't aware of it. He felt everything with such intensity, that if he liked her back, she would know without a doubt.

_But there's a chance. _

She growled in frustration at her own thoughts - there was _no _chance. Beast Boy just didn't see her in that way.

Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the little stars painted on her ceiling. She couldn't remember when exactly her and Starfire had painted them on there, but the memory brought a small smile to her lips. They had been spending time together in her room, and the alien had broke down and admitted how utterly homesick she was. Though she considered the titans family, a part of her was longing for Tameran and the familiarity of it. Raven hadn't realized how out-of-place Starfire must have felt, and found herself divulging a bit about Azarath. Though she hadn't gone into detail, she could feel the gratitude pouring off of her alien friend. Feeling a little daring, she had swiped the white nail polish from Starfire and hovered towards her ceiling, where she began to paint the dainty stars.

Her smile widened as her eyes scanned over the alien's first attempt at a star. Having traveled through space numerous times, Starfire had forgone the traditional star-shape and tried to paint a scaled-down version of what an actual star looked like, resulting in a blob.

Staring at the blotch of white paint, Raven felt a small hum of amusement rise in her throat, which resulted in the shattering of a small figurine on her desk. Closing her eyes in frustration, she repeated her mantra in her head.

Cyborg's theory was really starting to mess with her.

The blaring of the alarm broke her concentration as her powers broke another figurine. She scowled in annoyance as she jumped from her bed and quickly changed into her leotard.

Forgoing her cloak, she phased through her door and rushed to the common room.

Robin was already briefing Cyborg and Starfire by the time she phased through the door. Her leader ushered her over as he continued talking.

"...and it looks like he won't be too much of a problem, so you two can handle it on your own." He then turned to Raven. "I'm gonna need you and Beast Boy down at the docks; Adonis is making a mess of things. I'm heading downtown - there are reports of a masked man, and if it's who I think it is..."

Raven set her hand on Robin's shoulders as she gave him a stern look. "Don't obsess," she warned in a flat tone.

His nostrils flared slightly, and she felt a spike of resentment emit from someone in the room. She blinked in confusion - it hadn't come from Robin.

"Adonis?" an all-too-familiar voice behind her growled.

She turned around to see Beast Boy glaring at their leader, though his anger wasn't directed at the boy wonder.

Robin nodded solemnly as Raven removed her hand. "I trust you and Rave can handle him?"

The changeling only narrowed his eyes.

Robin glanced at him skeptically, before shaking his head. "Right - Titans, go!"

Raven gave Beast Boy a worried look, before grabbing his arm and teleporting them to the roof. They had barely arrived when he quickly turned into a falcon and flew towards the docks.

Sighing in exasperation, she followed after him.

By the time she arrived, Beast Boy was already in the form of a rhino and charging the suited villain, who only sneered at the hero.

"What, you think you are a match for me?" the armored man laughed as he managed to dodge her irate teammate. "Pathetic."

Raven immediately tried to bound his arms to his sides with her powers, but he was able to bust through her hold.

"Even a cutie like you won't be able to tie me down," he laughed, obviously pleased with his "clever" quip.

Raven rolled her eyes as she shuddered at his words - why did she only attract the weirdos?

Her presence seemed to be enough of a distraction as Beast Boy charged Adonis again, this time hitting him. The villain stumbled forward slightly as her green teammate morphed into a gorilla and began using his fists to pound on the suit.

Adonis recovered quickly as he shook the changeling off. "Is that the best you got? Hah, I'll finish you two in no time, and have energy to spare when the rest of your team gets here!"

Beast Boy shifted back into his human form as he sneered like the villain. "Oh, please - me and Rae can handle you on our own, no problem. Robin had even considered only sending _one _of us to take care of you."

Raven rolled her eyes at her teammates taunt, but picked up on the quick shift of Adonis's mood. He had gone from confident to enraged as she literally felt his ego deflate.

"First these dumb construction guys criticize my strength, and now you dare to?" Adonis suddenly threw a forklift at Beast Boy, which would have directly hit him if he hadn't shifted into a mouse as it flew over his head.

Raven felt her heart stop for a second, before she sighed in relief and Adonis's emotions clouded her senses once more. Not only was he angry; she could feel a tinge of hurt lining the rage. They had really bruised his ego.

Though she wanted to have nothing in common with the arrogant villain, she hoped that his anger would be a weakness they could exploit. Using her powers, she sent a few steel beams towards him in the hopes that they would pin him down, since her powers hadn't managed to.

He blocked them easily, directing his glare towards her. She felt her hair stand on end as he charged for her, and though she was able to phase away immediately, the complete and utter rage in his eyes frightened her. She knew that Cyborg had administered him with the antidote, and he could no longer turn into his beast form, but it made her wonder if he still had those primal urges.

Which made her wonder if _Beast Boy _did, too.

Her focus was thrown back to the battle as the changeling reappeared in his human form and pushed her to the ground, saving her from being impaled by another beam.

She landed on her back with her green teammate on top of her, who winced in sympathy.

Instead of apologizing, he suddenly gave her a stern look. "What is with you? Focus, Rae!"

His close proximity, coupled with the knowledge that he had picked up on her strange behavior, caused her powers to spike again. Thankfully, they had caused the dock Adonis was standing on to collapse, sending the unsuspecting villain into the bay.

Beast Boy quickly pulled himself off of her, before pulling her to her feet as well.

"That's more like it!" he cheered, smiling for the first time since they had gone on their mission.

Raven sent a silent prayer of thanks that he hadn't realized she collapsed the dock on accident. She followed him as he ran over to the edge, peering down at the villain. Raven did the same, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the unconscious form of Adonis lying in a pile of floating rubble and a broken suit, the waves gently lapping at him as he slowly sunk lower. They had won.

"I'll take care of the body," Beast Boy grinned, causing Raven to roll her eyes at his maturity level. "You call the others and see if they need back-up."

Despite the fact that she hated being ordered around, Raven complied. Her emotions were too frazzled to potentially argue with the green teen. Pulling out her communicator, she was surprised to see Robin's face already on the screen.

_"That didn't take long,"_ the boy wonder commented, and Raven couldn't decide if he was referring to the defeat of Adonis, or her quick answering.

"Need any reinforcements?" she deadpanned, getting straight to the point. She could feel her excitement and doubt of what the changeling thought of her bubbling inside, and she didn't want to be stuck alone with him in this state.

She really hated Cyborg at the moment - why did he have to reinsert that idea into her head?

Robin smirked at her from the screen. _"Nah, Star and Cy can handle Cinderblock, and I'm still following that lead. You and Beast Boy just make sure Adonis is in custody before heading back to the tower - we still have training."_

"Awe, dude! We just kicked butt, and you're rewarding us with _training? _We deserve pizza! Or a free-day!"

Raven glanced over her shoulder at her pouting teammate, who was dragging the still-unconscious body of Adonis behind him.

Though he was wearing his mask, she was pretty sure Robin just rolled his eyes. _"Sunday training is essential - I don't want you guys slacking off 'cuz you defeated a villain. You need discipline and routine, and training is a sure-fire way to keep you guys in tip-top shape."_

Raven felt a wave of annoyance emit from Beast Boy, and she couldn't help but empathize with him. She was definitely not looking forward to training. Especially since it was combat training, and she'd be forced to wear her cloak and uniform; though she wasn't wearing her cloak right now. Maybe she could convince Robin to let her train without it. Or maybe he wouldn't notice if she didn't wear it, since nobody seemed to notice right now.

Beast Boy scoffed behind her at Robin's orders as she nodded her head in compliance, shutting the communicator and ending the call.

"The police should be here any moment - I trust you can babysit Adonis on your own while I head back?" She felt bad shoving the responsibility onto him, but she figured a quick meditation session would help her stay in control during training. She could only hope that Robin didn't pair her with the changeling.

Beast Boy merely gave her a confused look as she began to levitate. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, causing her powers to bend a steel beam. Either he hadn't noticed, or just ignored it.

"Is there something wrong, Rae?"

She had never wanted to gouge out his trusting, friendly, dazzling emerald eyes so badly. Why did he always force her to talk about her feelings? Why did he always force her to _feel? _

She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she decided eye contact wasn't a good idea.

"I'm fine."

His brow furrowed at her response. "No you're not."

Since when did he become so aware? She liked it better when he was clueless and pressing her buttons; at least then she could use the excuse of him being an idiot to condone his "special attention". But now he had the title of a _friend, _and his incessant prodding was _warranted. _

"Why ask the question if you already made up your mind of the answer?" she growled, pulling her wrist from his grasp.

He continued to look at her with concern. "Does this have anything to do with training?"

She gave him a strange look as she tried to understand where he had come up with that conclusion. "Training?"

He nodded slowly as her eyes darted between his and the ground. "Yeah, when you hit your head."

_Oh, that training. _She was somewhat surprised he had the nerve to bring that up, especially after she insinuated that she knew what he liked to focus on during training. His cheeks had adopted a faint red color, and she figured he was trying to bring it up nonchalantly, so she'd think she was mistaken.

"It was merely a bump on the head - I've been through worse."

He still looked unconvinced. "So it has nothing to do with your head?"

She swallowed nervously as she looked him in the eyes. "No, it doesn't." _Well, nothing to do with a head-_injury, _at least. _"It's nothing, Beast Boy. I'm fine."

She figured her statement would have been more convincing if her powers hadn't short-circuited the forklift beside them.

* * *

So it looks like Raven's having some difficulties with that little spark of hope Cyborg unknowingly ignited. And as a sensible young woman, she doesn't want to live in fantasy-land, so it has got to go!

Hopefully she'll straighten this all out before her powers do some real damage - or before BB figures out _he _is the reason for all of it. But maybe that's what she needs..?

Anywhoo, I'd just like to say thank you to all of you wonderful people who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! It's absolutely amazing! You guys are the best!

Maybe leave another review? ;D


	20. Something

Last time I checked, I still didn't own the Teen Titans. I could check again, but... well, it's my day off, so I reserve the right to be lazy ;)

* * *

Beast Boy stared in confusion at the spot where Raven had been not a moment ago. Her powers had acted up, she turned bright red, and then she was just gone.

Something was wrong with her.

He almost went after her, but the unconscious form of Adonis at his feet reminded him that he had to wait for the authorities to arrive. Hopefully they'd be quick.

The villain began to come to, and Beast Boy let out a groan of exasperation as he lifted Adonis to his feet and held his hands firmly behind his back.

"What happened?" the now-suitless villain grumbled.

Instead of gloating like usual, Beast Boy merely growled in response. Robin really should have given his teammates some sort of restraint to manage the villains after battle. Holding the dudes wrists together made the creep a little too close for comfort.

Adonis turned his head to try to get a look at the changeling, and groaned when they made eye contact.

"Where'd that creepy chick go?"

Beast Boy stifled another growl as he glared at the villain. "I have no idea who you're referring to," he deadpanned, unconsciously digging his nails into the man's wrists.

Adonis merely hissed in pain, before continuing his explanation. "You know, the hot one with the scary powers."

The shape-shifter felt his skin crawl as he realized this villain was even worse than Raven's fan-boys when it came to "complimenting" her. "You mean Raven, the girl who kicked your butt?" he sneered, pulling the villain towards the road in the hopes that the cops were almost there.

"Yeah, her! Doesn't she usually wear that big old robe thing? Is she changing up her look?"

Beast Boy ignored the creep's question as he glanced up and down the road, praying for the flashing lights and straining his ears to hear the sirens.

"'Cuz she might want to rethink that - if she's dressed like that all the time, she's only gonna encourage me to make more trouble; especially since it'll give me the excuse to pin her down - "

Beast Boy felt something inside him snap as he pushed Adonis to the ground and knelt beside him, rejoicing in the villain's pained look as he tried to pull his face off of the concrete.

"Listen here, jackass," Beast Boy growled, baring his teeth. "You don't _talk _about Raven like that. You don't _think _about Raven like that. And you sure as hell don't _look _at Raven like that, 'cuz if she doesn't kill you for it..." He leaned in close to the villain's ear as his instincts, primal side, and even his _human _side begged him to rip the guy's throat out.

"_I will,_" he finished with a hiss.

Adonis only nodded in response, and Beast Boy could smell the fear radiating off of the villain. He knew he should have felt a little bad, since it was against Robin's code of conduct to hurt or threaten a villain _after _they apprehended them, but he couldn't let that creep get away with talking about Raven like that.

Plus, he knew Robin would do the same if he had been talking about Starfire.

Though Starfire was Robin's_ girlfriend._

Beast Boy felt himself blush as he realized he was acting like Raven was _his girlfriend. _He knew she'd be pissed that he even felt the need to stand up for her, since she could "take care of herself", but the aggressive way he went about it was sure to raise a few eyebrows, especially hers. He took Adonis's comments a little to close to heart, it seemed.

Not wanting to make a scene, Beast Boy hauled Adonis off of the ground, electing a sigh of relief from the villain. It seemed as though the changeling's hostile behavior caused the suit-less man to rethink anymore taunts as he stood silently, waiting for the authorities to arrest him.

About ten minutes later, Beast Boy was flying back to the tower in the form of a raven, laughing to himself at the slight irony. Adonis had gone quietly, and he was fairly certain the villain wouldn't bring up the empath again.

Landing on the roof, he morphed back into his human form and made his way into the tower. As he descended the stairs towards their living quarters, he felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew Raven was most likely meditating, and he didn't want to interrupt her. But he also knew Robin would expect her to come to training, and she was obviously having some trouble with her powers.

And he really didn't want her to hurt herself during training _again. _

He slowed his pace as he neared her door, trying to sort out his feelings before he bombarded her with worry and anxiety. Instead, he pushed forward a sense of calm, so that when she did pick up on his emotions, they'd hopefully help her relax. She had confided in him once that sometimes she'd be influenced by other's strong emotions, his and Starfire's especially. He was embarrassed at first, as well as a little outraged that she was invading his privacy, but she had explained that it was unintentional. She also pointed out that he was guilty of _physically _invading hers, which he acknowledged with a sheepish smile.

It wasn't his fault he was burdened with an unhealthy amount of curiosity, and her secrecy was just begging him to pry. It also didn't help that she was a pretty girl and he had been a nosy little fourteen year old when they first met. And it _really _didn't help that she was _still _a pretty girl, who his more primal urges had taken a liking to.

Shaking away those thoughts, he focused on feeling serene as he knocked on her door.

_Meadows; think about meadows, _he told himself as he strained his ears to hear Raven through her door. _Trees... grass... clouds... _He felt his heart race quicken at the sound of her approaching footsteps. _Hills... flowers... _he continued, still attempting to feel calm as she opened her door.

"Lilacs..."

Beast Boy hadn't realized he had spoken aloud until the empath was staring at him with a blank expression.

"Lilacs?" she repeated, and though her face remained placid, he could tell she hadn't appreciated the interruption.

He couldn't stop himself from blushing as he stared at her. Why had he knocked on her door again? To embarrass himself?

"Uhm..." he started slowly, trying to come up with a plausible reason for why he had just said lilacs. "You smell like them..."

Raven rolled her eyes at his excuse. "You came all the way to my room and interrupted my meditation to inform me that you've yet to stop sniffing me?"

"Heh, n-no..." He laughed sheepishly at her conclusion, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. He always said the stupidest things in front of her. But as he looked into her tired eyes, he suddenly remembered his _actual _reason for coming to her.

"What's wrong, Rae?"

He knew he should have planned out a better approach as he watched her physically shy away from him.

"Nothing's wrong," she stated flatly, and if it hadn't been for the slightest twitch of her lips, he might have believed her. But Raven didn't twitch unless something was wrong, or if she was lying, or if she was lying about something being wrong.

"Raven," he began slowly, hoping to coax her into sharing with him by using her preferred name, "you've been a little... off lately, and I... I'm just concerned for your, uh... well-being."

Her eyebrow raised the slightest, but other than that, she gave no indication that she was listening.

"And, uhm..." he continued, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the situation. He was prying, and he knew it. And Raven hated it when people would pry. Especially when he would pry. And he was doing just that. _Prying. _

"I'm just worried that there's something you're not telling me," he admitted, giving her a pleading look.

She merely blinked in response.

He felt himself scratch the back of his neck again as he stared into her eyes. "I-is there? You know - something you're not telling me?"

The silence that followed was almost unbearable as he watched the slightest look of contempt cross her otherwise expressionless features.

"I wasn't aware of my obligation to share every minor detail of my life with you," she drawled sarcastically.

He knew she wasn't _trying _to pick a fight, but her harsh tone really rubbed him the wrong way. Biting back his initial retort, he gave her an innocent smile. "Well, I'm glad we've got this all sorted out then," he laughed awkwardly.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Thank you for enlightening me."

They stared at each other silently for a few moments longer, before she made a move to close her door. Reacting quickly, he stuck his arm out and pulled it open wider, taking a step closer to her.

Her eyes widened slightly, and he could see her internal debate of whether to stand her ground or take a step back.

His heart rate quickened at her decision to remain rooted in her spot, causing him to be barely a foot away from her. He told himself it was from fear of what she'd do to him, but that didn't explain the tingly feeling he got in his stomach. Was that... _excitement?_ What was he excited about?

He felt his eyes move over her face as he soaked in any and all indications of emotion that passed over her features. He had never been this close for this long, and he felt his eyes grow hungry for anything more she could offer with her expression.

"I don't want to talk about it."

His heart nearly leapt from his chest at her confession. Raven had just _confided _in him. She had _admitted _to something. She was _acknowledging _her problem. Reluctant to talk about it, maybe, but she had confirmed that not all was well in the vast paradox that was Raven.

His head pounded from pain as he scrambled for an intelligent response. A part of him was in utter shock that she had even _said _anything, while another part was jumping for joy at his progress. She was opening up to him. This was amazing.

"Okay..."

He felt as if he had given away the winning lottery ticket as his voice agreed with her. Did he _really _just _willingly _give up the chance to have an _actual _conversation with _Raven_ about her _emotions? _What the _hell_ was wrong with him?

She was apparently just as surprised as him, tilting her head slightly in bewilderment. "Okay..?" she repeated, and he got the distinct feeling that maybe she _wanted _him to press further.

But that was just crazy - like she'd _ever _want to discuss something like that with him. She was the team therapist, and he was the goofball.

Beast Boy nodded slowly, not trusting himself with the conversation any longer. "I can respect that," he began, not believing that his voice was actually saying this. He was supposed to _push _her - cause her to throw him against the wall for _prying. _

And yet, all she did was stare at him with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"But," he continued, feeling a little better as his nosy self returned, "I want you to... I _need _you to let me know if it's something... you know... that I'd need to... know."

_Wow, Beast Boy, you have such a way with words,_ he thought bitterly, cringing internally at the lack of intelligence in his statement.

"I..."

He was torn from his thoughts as she began speaking again, and he suddenly found himself hanging on her every word. After all, she was almost _confiding _in him. And that was a big deal.

"I will," she finished lamely, giving him the teensiest smile of gratitude, which caused him to feel on top of the world. Raven was _grateful _for him.

"Sweet," he breathed, a strange cocktail of emotions brewing in his stomach - relief, curiosity, worry, fear, anger, and satisfaction, just to name a few. But also an underlying hint of something... sort of familiar. Something he hadn't felt in a while, so he wasn't able to name it. Something... strange. And tingly.

He kind of liked the feeling.

* * *

What could this mystery feeling be? And can Raven detect it? Will she be able to offer some insight? Hmm...

Anywhoo, leave a review? That'd be pretty freaking sweet!


	21. Hide and Seek

I'm not right when I say I own the rights to the Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven watched absently as Robin demonstrated a few defense maneuvers with Starfire, who was trying to smother her smile from being so close to her boyfriend. The empath could almost taste the emotions pouring off of the two, and she had to hold back a snort of amusement. It seemed like the boy wonder wasn't taking this as seriously as he was trying to portray.

As the atmosphere grew heavy with emotion, Raven felt herself sneak a glance at the changeling, who was trying to stifle a yawn as he pretended to pay attention. His earlier concern for her had ignited a fire under her skin and caused a storm in her stomach as she felt his emotions jump back and forth. She couldn't get a definite reading on each one, but she was almost certain she felt the slightest hint of...

She shook her head tentatively to rid herself of that thought. If Beast Boy _was _feeling that way, she'd be able to detect it. He was obviously just worried about her, since they were _friends. _And he worried about his friends.

_But that feeling wasn't something between friends... _

Rolling her eyes in annoyance at her own thoughts, she welcomed Robin's order to split off into pairs and spar. A quick training session with Starfire would surely distract her from that dreaded feeling of _hope. _

She immediately began walking towards the alien, but her leader held his hand out in front of her.

"Actually, Raven, I'm gonna have you and Beast Boy spar," he announced, motioning the changeling over with his other hand. "No offense, but with Starfire's natural strength and Cyborg's robotics, you and Beast Boy are better suited for each other."

She prayed she wasn't blushing as her mind wandered off with the possibilities of the boy wonder's last statement.

"Of course," she replied dutifully, sparing a quick glance at her green teammate.

Beast Boy was smiling absentmindedly, blissfully unaware of the danger he was now in. If Raven couldn't control her emotions _standing beside him, _she couldn't imagine what would happen if she were pressed up against him. Or sitting on top of him. Or pinned beneath him -

She squeezed her eyes shut and chanted her mantra before her thoughts caused the training room to explode. Now was _definitely _not the time to let her mind wander. She needed to focus.

Finding her center, she opened her eyes, only to see two emerald orbs looking at her in concern.

"Rae?"

She could feel his anxiety seeping into her skin, which didn't help her situation. Closing her eyes again and pinching the bridge if her nose, she begged her frazzled mind to cease its spinning. And if her stomach would stop tumbling, that'd be great, too.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with a sense of calm. Opening her eyes in confusion, she realized it was coming off of Beast Boy, who was grinning his toothy grin.

"Come on, Rae! Let's get me kicking your butt over with!"

His serene state of mind should have eased her into her own, but the fact that he could _willfully _project her emotions frightened her a bit. Despite his good intentions, she could feel the slightest hint of concern, masked under the calm feeling. But just _barely. _

Which meant Beast Boy was fully aware of what he was doing, and his synthetic feelings were undeniably intentional.

_Which meant Cyborg might be right..._

"I highly doubt that." Raven wasn't sure if her retort was directed at the changeling or her own thoughts, but it seemed to spark a competitive side in Beast Boy.

"What, you think _you _can take _me?_" he asked incredulously, fighting back a smirk.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation as she refrained from answering, instead waiting for Robin's signal to start. If she focused on _beating _Beast Boy, she wouldn't be thinking about _being _with Beast Boy.

With a quick "Titan's, go!" from Robin, Raven sidestepped Beast Boy's lunge for her, smiling to herself at his predictability. Because this was _physical _combat training, the use of their powers was prohibited. Which meant Beast Boy would try to use their size difference to his advantage.

But he underestimated her speed, apparently.

Again, he made a move to grab her, but she easily ducked out of his reach. She was good at avoiding things, so staying just beyond his fingertips felt natural. Besides, she relied on her physical strength the least, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Feeling a lot better with the situation, she allowed her mind to wander a bit as she dodged another attempt.

So far, Robin had failed to notice that she wasn't wearing her cloak, which made moving around easier, and kept her a lot cooler. Despite her love for hiding under her hood, it could get pretty hot in there.

Raven was surprised when Beast Boy had suddenly and successfully kicked her legs out from under her. He had made a move to her left, so naturally, she had dodged to her right. But he must have suspected it, because all of a sudden, her back was against the floor and the changeling was hovering above her, grinning triumphantly.

"And you thought you could take me?" he laughed.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she knew she still had a few more seconds before Robin would declare Beast Boy the winner. Moving faster than she had thought possible, she rolled into the changeling's leg, which sent him toppling onto his side. He had been overly cautious not to _actually _be on top of her, which meant his balance wasn't the greatest.

Deciding _not _to abide by his polite example, she rolled on top of him, sitting on his abdomen and pinning his arms above his head.

His shock faded quickly, and she felt him swing his legs up as he hooked them under her arms, throwing her onto her back again. She had no idea he was that flexible. He grinned cheekily as he was on top of her, again, only he seemed to throw caution to the wind as he re-positioned himself, like he was getting comfortable.

Not wanting to give up, Raven attempted to wiggle out from under him, but he only snorted in amusement as he leaned closer to her and pinned her arms above her head. His face was merely inches from hers, and she knew it was only a matter of time before her powers acted up. Instead of fighting back, she squeezed her eyes shut and chanted her mantra, accepting defeat.

She could feel Beast Boy's concern probing at her mind as she begged for time to move faster. It had to have been ten seconds by now - why the hell hadn't Robin called it?

She felt Beast Boy tense up as he discreetly lifted himself off of her, which only made her situation worse. His thoughtfulness was driving her to the brink of insanity, and she swore she felt another stab of that unnameable emotion. Not that she didn't know what it was; she just couldn't bring herself to _believe _it.

It was gone in a flash, along with the pressure on top of her and in her head. Robin must have declared Beast Boy the winner.

Raven opened her eyes slowly, only to see a gloved hand reaching towards her. He was trying to help her up, rather than gloat. Beast Boy _always _gloated.

She slapped away his hand as she pulled herself to her feet, sending him an unamused glare. If he was going to tiptoe around her, the others would notice. Then Cyborg's suspicions would be confirmed, Starfire would become increasingly overbearing, and Robin would attempt to get her to talk about it, so she wouldn't be distracted during missions.

And then Beast Boy would never leave her alone, until she blew up and confessed the _actual _reason.

That she _liked _him.

And then she'd be completely mortified when he told her he didn't feel the same.

Or that spark would ignite, and he'd tell her he _did. _

And she wasn't sure what would be worse.

Sparing another glance at him, she felt like punching the wall. He was staring at her intently, his brows furrowed and his mouth a straight line. But she couldn't get a read on his emotions - they were coming in like static.

One minute, she'd feel anger, but it would fizzle out into gratitude and then morph into indifference. His emotions were as unstable as his DNA, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to get a hold on them.

Of course he'd decide to suppress his emotions _after _Cyborg put the suggestion in her head. But at that thought, she wondered if the robotic titan had said something to Beast Boy as well, because she never had this hard of a time reading him. He was usually an open book. Now it felt like he was speaking another language. _  
_

"Alright, titans - good job," Robin began, obviously unaware of the silent confusion between his two teammates. Raven couldn't help but think that for a great detective, the boy wonder could be pretty oblivious.

Her eyes darted towards Cyborg, who was thankfully too busy sulking from his defeat to notice her and Beast Boy's strange behavior. And Starfire was preoccupied with smiling brilliantly at Robin, meaning Raven's only concern was Beast Boy.

Who was still looking at her funny.

"Take a quick ten minute break, and then we'll practice some field training - powers and weapons allowed."

Sighing in relief at the chance to meditate, Raven quickly made her way towards the corner of the training room beside the water fountain. Hovering delicately with her legs crossed, she began chanting her mantra under her breath.

"...beat by a girl!"

Her brows furrowed slightly at the sound of the changeling's voice as he neared her.

"Yeah, well, Rae put up a fight - don't act like she didn't!" Cyborg retorted, obviously miffed.

Raven started to regret her decision to meditate by the fountain - it was as if she had subconsciously chose a place where she'd be interrupted; like she _wanted _to go crazy or destroy everything.

_Or give Beast Boy an excuse to pry. _

She growled at her the voice in her head, realizing too late that she had done so aloud as her teammates ceased their conversation.

"Somebody's a sore loser."

Strangely thankful for Beast Boy's attempt at humor, Raven opened her eyes and glared at the two of them. "Please refrain from talking while I meditate - otherwise I won't be responsible for any harm that comes to you if you piss me off."

Cyborg snorted in amusement while the changeling rolled his eyes - though his sporadic emotions were telling her he was far from amused.

"Gosh, Rae - your unwavering kindness to BB might give him the wrong idea," the half-robot joked. Or maybe he wasn't joking. Raven couldn't tell.

Regardless, she kept her face blank and her eyes on him - even the slightest indication that she cared about Beast Boy's reaction would tip Cyborg off. Besides, she could_ feel_ the changeling's reaction without having to look at him.

Yet she detected nothing but Cyborg's amusement - Beast Boy's emotions were... _gone. _

She could still see him from the corner of her eye, but she couldn't _feel _him.

It lasted maybe five seconds, before his own amusement overwhelmed her a bit.

"Ha. Ha." She wasn't sure how else to respond to Cyborg's teasing, and her mind was still reeling from the five-second gap of her green teammate's emotions.

How had he done that?

How could she not detect _anything?_

What... what was he hiding?

Sparing him a fleeting glance, her heart skipped a beat as he gave her his signature, toothy grin.

* * *

Another chapter!

So Raven kind of knows what Beast Boy's mystery feeling is, but she's not entirely convinced. Since she "feels" the emotions depending on how "loud" they are, this mystery one is obviously more of a whisper, so neither of them are one hundred percent certain of what it is. Though all of us probably are! Haha

Anywhoo, this is almost to 200 reviews, which is awesome! And it's past 130 followers, which is incredible! If it could get a couple more, that'd be absolutely amazing! And favorites are super duper cool as well!

And for everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed - I love you! You guys rock! :D


	22. Burned

Teen Titans not mine - they someone else's lol

* * *

Beast Boy gave Raven a concerned look as the titans made their way to the roof. Robin wanted the three flight-enabled titans to practice aerial attacks while he and Cyborg practiced their aim.

Beast Boy knew Raven was one tough cookie, but she still looked a little haggard - though he was sure nobody else had picked up on it. Yet the slightly sluggish way she moved had him worried.

He decided to keep an eye on her as he morphed into a hawk and began circling the tower. He wasn't sure how _he _was training, since he didn't have any star-bolts or demonic black energy, but Robin seemed too distracted to notice, so the changeling decided not to bring it to his attention. Plus, this allowed him to better observe the empath.

Raven was weaving effortlessly through the air as she used her powers to destroy the freeze-disks Robin was throwing at her. With a flick of her wrist she conjured up a shield to protect her from a sonic blast from Cyborg, and even threw one up to protect Starfire as well. But despite her bored expression, Beast Boy could see her eyes darting around in apprehension, as if she were expecting something to blow up. Which, considering how many things had done just that today, he couldn't blame her.

Suddenly, Beast Boy felt a burning sensation singe his feathers on his left wing, causing him to morph back into his human form from the shock and plummet towards the roof. Maybe two seconds went by before he came back to his senses and shifted back into a bird, but by then his alien teammate had already swooped down to catch him. He sat quietly in the form of a sparrow in Starfire's hands as she landed back on the roof.

"Friend! Are you harmed?"

She quickly set him down on the roof, where he morphed into his human form once more.

"I'm fine," he laughed awkwardly, embarrassed by his initial reaction. He glanced around sheepishly at the worried faces of his teammates. Robin's concern was overshadowed by his slight annoyance at the interruption, whereas Cyborg looked absolutely horrified. Beast Boy was pretty sure he now knew who had hit him.

Rotating his shoulder slowly, he hissed in pain; though he couldn't see it, he suspected he had a pretty nasty burn on his back. And the contorted faces of his female teammates confirmed his suspicions.

"That injury is most disgusting," Starfire mused, though she continued to look at it in morbid fascination.

Raven, on the other hand, was giving it a weary look. "I'll be able to heal it," she deadpanned, reaching towards him.

Beast Boy let out an unmanly squeal as he jumped away from her. "No!"

He felt his cheeks redden as his teammates' expressions turned from worried to bewildered.

"No?" Raven repeated as she retracted her arm.

Again, Beast Boy smiled sheepishly. He knew healing didn't take a whole lot out of Raven, but the fact that she had been on edge all day made him reluctant to let her use her powers on him. But he knew that voicing his concerns out loud would be suicide.

"Uh, I... want to put some antiseptic on it first!" he declared, satisfied with his quick thinking. "I don't want to get an infection!"

Raven's head tilted slightly at his explanation. "But if I heal you - "

"Great idea! You can heal me after!" he grinned, linking his uninjured arm with hers. "Off to the med-bay! You guys carry on!"

His other teammates still looked confused, but with a curt nod from Robin, they complied.

"Alright, Raven, heal Beast Boy quickly, and then both of you report back to the roof."

Beast Boy smiled in acknowledgement as he pulled the still-bewildered empath towards the door. They made it all the way down the stairs and halfway to the elevator before Raven finally ripped her arm out of his hold and glared at him.

"You are fully aware of my healing capabilities, aren't you?" she deadpanned.

Beast Boy nodded cheerfully as they continued their way down the hall. "Yep!"

He met her eyes quickly before looking away - she was still glaring.

"Then you do realize that my powers sterilize burns?"

He nodded again, wincing in pain as he lifted his left arm to press the elevator's down button. "Y-yep."

The doors hissed open automatically and the two titans stepped in.

"Then I fail to see the reason why you insist on going to the med-bay," she admitted with a blank expression.

Beast Boy merely rolled his eyes fondly, attempting to buy a few more seconds to perfect his reasoning.

"Well," he started slowly, giving the empath a look that clearly said_ please-don't-take-this-the-wrong-way. _"First of all, this was a nice excuse to get out of training," he admitted with a devious grin, which earned an eye-roll from his teammate. "And second, it gives _you _a nice excuse not to use your powers and _maybe _tell me why you're acting so weird today."

He watched as Raven's eyes widened at his bluntness, before narrowing in annoyance. "I am not acting _weird._"

Beast Boy let out a fake scoff at her lame attempt at denial. "Please, Rae! You've been jumpy and exploding everything all day!"

Again, he earned another glare from her at the way he described her behavior.

"I have not."

The elevator dinged as they arrived on the right floor, and Raven swiftly made her way towards the med-lab. Beast Boy suppressed a chuckle as he followed behind her.

"Have to, Rae," he laughed. She continued through the med-lab doors, and Beast Boy took the opportunity to roll his shoulder again - which resulted in another hiss of pain.

"I could have healed that five minutes ago," the empath deadpanned. He watched as she opened up the cabinet, in search of the antiseptic.

Beast Boy couldn't help but smile at the fact that even though they were both completely aware of the waste of time applying the medication would be, she didn't defy his wish.

"So, since we're alone..." he started slowly, a coy smile spreading across his lips.

Raven turned around to shoot him another glare, the tube of medication in her hands.

"Since we're alone, I can now berate you for being an idiot during training _again, _only this time you got _yourself _hurt," she growled.

Beast Boy felt himself blush as he sat down on one of the beds. "Again..?" he mused, hoping she'd be too mortified to say what he was pretty sure she was hinting at.

Thankfully, she rolled her eyes in exasperation, before muttering a quick "never mind."

He smiled triumphantly as she squirted a small amount of medicine in her hand.

"Wait - won't your hands make it all germy?"

He stifled another chuckle as she growled in frustration, forcibly smacking her hand onto his burn, which caused him to yelp again.

"Like it matters - putting this on is completely pointless since my powers will heal you effectively," she grumbled.

Beast Boy let out a quiet cry of pain as she began spreading around the medicine, peeling back his burnt uniform in the process.

"Is it totally ruined?" he questioned, gesturing to his uniform.

Raven merely nodded in response, before her hands began glowing.

Realizing what she was about to do, Beast Boy twisted away from her, causing her to stumble forward onto the bed as he fell to the floor. Ignoring the newly formed bruise on his backside, he gave her the fiercest glare he could muster.

"I said you can't heal me!"

She pushed herself off of the bed and attempted to haul him back up. "Stop being so difficult, Beast Boy!"

He allowed her to help him back to his feet, but when she again reached towards his back, he slapped away her hands.

"I said no!" he repeated, crossing his arms in defiance and taking a step away from her.

"My god, Beast Boy! If you'd just - "

"Listen up, Rae," he began sternly, noting in relief that her powers hadn't acted up so far. A part of him wondered if she was telling the truth when she said she was fine, but as he remember their earlier conversation outside of her room, he quickly dismissed the idea. Raven was hiding something. "I know that you're not the biggest fan of letting people in, but you're one of my best friends, and honestly, I'm insulted when you lie to me."

Her annoyed expression slowly shifted into indifference, which he took as a sign to continue.

"So when I ask you if something's wrong, know that it means I _know _something's wrong, because you wouldn't be acting so weird if there wasn't."

Her eyes breaking contact with his was all the confirmation he needed.

"Please tell me, Rae," he pleaded, lowering his voice unconsciously. He hated to admit how worried she was making him.

"I'm just having an off day," she replied, still avoiding eye contact.

Beast Boy heaved a sigh of exasperation as he sat back onto the bed, the burn on his back nearly forgotten. He patted the spot beside him, and was pleasantly surprised when his teammate accepted the invitation.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" he asked tentatively, not wanting to scare her off.

She let out a huff of frustration as she cast her eyes towards the floor. "Not really, but you're not going to stop bugging me til I do," she mumbled.

It took all of Beast Boy's willpower not to smile. "I'm just concerned, Raven."

She lifted her gaze to meet his, and the vulnerability in her eyes made his heart skip a beat - Raven was never this... _open. _

"I know you are, and I thank you for it," she replied, giving him a small smile. "And though I'm not the fondest of your approach, I do appreciate it."

He let his smile shine through at her admission, and patiently waited for her to go on.

Heaving another sigh, she looked back towards the ground. "Let's just say, I'm having a hard time... figuring something out. And not knowing is something I don't do often, so it's really frustrating. And frustration is a feeling that causes my powers to go a little haywire."

Beast Boy nodded in understanding - he knew that Raven was the type of person who needed to have a basic understanding of everything around her, and if she was having a hard time figuring something out, then it'd drive her crazy.

"I know I'm not the smartest superhero around," he began with a smirk, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room, "but if you want, I can try to help you figure that thing out - whatever it is."

He saw her stiffen slightly at his offer, but before he could take it back, she replied.

"Well, it's.. uhm.. kind of personal..."

He knew it was a bad idea, but knowing something _personal _about Raven - a secret, perhaps - was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. _  
_

"What are friends for?" he grinned.

She still looked skeptical, and he was wholeheartedly surprised with what she said next.

"I'm... trying to figure out if this guy I know... likes me."

The shock from that sentence resulted in his mind racing - who was she talking about? He could feel himself growing increasingly curious, as well as a little upset - though he smothered the emotion somewhat automatically. Just because Raven wanted to know if some guy was crushing on her didn't mean _she _was crushing on some guy... right?_  
_

He gave her a tight smile and hoped that this conversation wouldn't get anymore awkward. "Why? Is this guy being a pain?" he laughed.

His heart stopped when she shook her head, and he watched as she mentally prepared herself to answer _without _blowing anything up.

"No, I... I'm curious to know if he likes me, because..."

Beast Boy tried not to lean closer to her as he waited for her to finish.

"...because... I like him."

Suddenly the room felt too warm, and the burn on his back was nothing compared to the sharp pain in his chest as he realized Raven had just admitted that she had a crush on someone.

And he had no idea why knowing that hurt.

* * *

Eek! Is BB realizing something really important a little too late? Is he finally figuring out what that mystery emotion of his was, only to learn that Raven's feeling the same thing... for someone else? (Even though we all know that _he's _this "guy she knows" lol)

Hopefully everything will sort itself out before somebody gets hurt (or totally humiliated)!

Anywhoo, leave a review? Also, this is almost to 150 followers! If we can get past 150, I'll post two chapters tomorrow! And favorites are almost to 90, so if it gets to 95, I'll post a third! Eeee I feel bad bargaining, but seeing new follows, favs, and reviews makes me sooooo happy! :D


	23. Conflicts and Contradictions

I should own the Teen Titans.

* * *

The strange emotions stirring inside Beast Boy kind of scared him. He tried his hardest to project a calm feeling, as well as his friendly curiosity, and judging by the fact that Raven hadn't given him a look of disgust, he figured it was working.

"You... _like _this guy?" he repeated warily.

Raven nodded her head. She was no longer looking towards the ground bashfully, but she was still avoiding direct eye contact.

Beast Boy knew that this was probably hard for her to admit, and a burst of happiness swelled inside of him, but he tried to contain that as well. Especially since it was mixed with something that felt a little too much like _hope. _He knew he should have been happy that she had a crush, because that made his job of finding her a boyfriend so much easier.

But the uncomfortable way his stomach was twisting seemed to disagree, and he was at a loss for an explanation - why did her confession literally make him feel sick? That wasn't a very common emotion for a friend to feel.

As the word "friend" passed through his mind, he felt another sharp pain stab his heart. Was _that _the reason he felt like curling up in a ball of self-pity? Because he and Raven were _friends?_

Another slightly foreign emotion began making its appearance, and Beast Boy slowly recognized it as _jealousy, _laced with a fine layer of disappointment.

Now that was a _really _strange feeling for a "friend" to feel.

"What, is that really so hard to believe?"

Her monotone voice tore him from his internal self-discovery. He glanced up at her face, which remained passive, and silently thanked the lord that she hadn't picked up on his conflicting feelings.

"Well, kinda," he admitted awkwardly, hoping that his façade would hold while his insides churned. Surprisingly, his instincts and primal side had remained quiet, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Raven nodded her head again, and he swore he saw a hint of a smirk play at her lips.

"You do realize I'm a teenage girl, right?" she deadpanned.

Beast Boy's eyes immediately (and somewhat automatically) began to scope her out, but he caught himself - that was _definitely _not a "friendly" thing to do.

"Uh, you do realize _I'm _a teenage boy, right?" he bit back playfully. "And we're kinda oblivious to everything around us."

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Right."

Beast Boy felt himself smile, despite the despair growing within him. _So Raven has a crush? _he thought to himself, pushing forward a feeling of contentment. _And she needs help figuring the dude out? Piece of cake! _

"Alright, Rae - I'm gonna help!" he grinned.

She finally made eye contact as she regarded him skeptically. "You're going to what?"

And she called _him _a bad listener.

"I'm gonna help you! Just tell me who this 'mystery guy' is and I'll keep an eye on him and see if he shows the tell-tale signs of liking you!"

At his suggestion, Raven's eyes widened comically as her jaw dropped in horror. "Hell. No."

He bit back a growl of frustration at her answer. Honestly, he knew she wasn't going to tell him who this guy was, but he thought that _maybe _she'd slip up. Instead of pouting like a three-year-old, his rolled his eyes fondly.

"Okay, okay - well, even though _I _won't be able to determine it by his behavior, I'll still decode it for you if you report it back to me!" he offered instead.

Again, Raven regarded him with a skeptical look. "Why do you want to help me?"

He opened his mouth to answer her, but realized he wasn't exactly sure why he was somewhat eager to help her. Maybe it was because he considered her one of his best friends? Or because he wanted her to get a hold of her powers so she wouldn't destroy the whole city?

Or maybe it was because deep down inside of him, the tiniest spark of hope ignited; hope that maybe, _he _was this mystery guy. But that wasn't a feeling _friends _felt, so he squashed it down instantly.

"Because we're friends, Rae! And I don't want you destroying everything 'cuz your emotions are all jumbled!"

She automatically smacked him on the shoulder, which elected a very unmanly yelp of pain - just because his heart was sort of breaking didn't mean his burn wasn't still hurting.

"Ugh, that's it! I'm healing you, Beast Boy!"

This time, he didn't feel like disagreeing.

* * *

Beast Boy knew he was being creepy, but he couldn't stop himself from sneaking a few glances at the empath as she talked with Cyborg. He knew it was stupid (and gross) to think that maybe the half-robot was this mystery guy, but his primal side had finally made an appearance when they had returned to the roof to train, and it wasn't very happy with Beast Boy's discovery.

But honestly, neither was Beast Boy.

He continued to play his video game as his eyes darted between the screen in front of him and the titans beside him.

"I really think Starfire would be more helpful, Cyborg," Raven admitted with a shrug as she absently watched the screen as well.

Beast Boy felt a sudden desire to impress the empath by getting a high score, but he knew he wasn't focused enough to do that as his eyes traced her profile longingly.

"But you're a girl, Rae! Can't you just like, use your girl instincts to figure out what Bee meant by that?"

At the word instincts, Beast Boy felt his stomach twist. It had come as a shock to know that his own animalistic senses were somewhat appalled by Raven's earlier confession; it was as if _they _were just as confused as Beast Boy on how to react.

"I don't need to be a girl to recognize the fact that going to the ball with Sarah hurt Bumble Bee's feelings."

And then at the word ball, Beast Boy remembered his own predicament. He was taking Raven, his _friend_, and she was crushing on someone, who most likely _wasn't _him. He realized bitterly that his own selfish want for a date might have hindered the empath's chances at going with the guy she _really _wanted.

He spared another glance at her, and felt his face redden as they made eye contact - apparently his feelings were coming through a little louder than he wanted. Reigning them in slowly, as not to draw attention to the fact that he was able to do that, he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Wanna play two player?" he laughed, gesturing to the controller in his hands. Raven merely rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Cyborg.

"Honestly, either way you're going to hurt someone's feelings. I say you do some soul-searching, and figure out which girl you _want _to take. And then let the other down easily. It's incredibly insensitive to lead both of them on."

Beast Boy almost voiced his agreement, but stopped himself before either could accuse him of eavesdropping. Even though they were literally sitting next to him on the couch and he didn't need his enhanced hearing to listen.

But the fact that Raven was _his _date to the ball, and Cyborg loved to tease them about it, he knew it'd be best to keep quiet.

Especially since he was no longer sure _how _he felt about the half-demon, and the robotic titan's teasing wouldn't be much help.

"You're right..." Cyborg admitted slowly, and Beast Boy could see a small smirk forming on Raven's lips. "I should talk to Star about this!"

The half-robot immediately jumped up from the couch in search of the alien, causing a frown to replace Raven's smirk and a snort of amusement to sound from the changeling.

At the sound, Raven turned to glare at him, and Beast Boy slowly shrank lower in his seat.

"I-I thought your advice was good," he admitted sheepishly.

Raven huffed in frustration as she, too, sunk into the couch, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Everybody asks my advice, and yet nobody _takes _it," she droned, and Beast Boy felt another swell of happiness as he realized she was _complaining _to him.

"Well, not everybody's moral compass is as... uh..." His attempt at sounding educated with an intelligent response fell short, and he felt himself blush in embarrassment at his own stupidity. "N-never mind..."

He tried to focus on the video game before him as his inner voice berated him for being such an idiot. He could feel Raven's eyes on him, and for some reason, it was making him incredibly self-conscious. He started to wonder who exactly this mystery guy of hers was, and what he was like. Knowing Raven, the dude was probably a genius, as well as sensitive and noble. He was probably incredibly handsome, too, though she wasn't the type to judge someone based on their appearance. But Beast Boy was fairly certain the dude wasn't green.

He spared another glance at the empath, making eye contact. She immediately adverted her gaze, and instead focused on the screen before them.

"Are you supposed to catch on fire like that?"

Beast Boy's brows furrowed in confusion at her question, before realizing she was referring to his game. His eyes widened in horror as he realized his virtual car was on fire (and in last place).

"Damn it!" he growled, feeling even more embarrassed as it exploded. The "Game Over" title flashed across the screen, and he heard a quiet snort of amusement sound from the pale girl beside him.

"Oh, like _you _could do any better," he snapped, though his tone was light enough to let her know he was only kidding.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Nice try - but there's no way in hell you're getting me to play a video game."

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes in jest, before scooting closer to her on the couch and earning a quizzical look.

"Awe, come on, Rae! I can teach you how to play so you won't suck _that _bad!"

He held back a disappointed whine as she tentatively scooted away from him while shaking her head.

"No, Beast Boy."

Not wanting to give up so easily, he plopped himself down right beside her and shoved the controller in her hands. At first, she was too shocked to do anything, so he took the opportunity to guide her hands with his own as he started a new game.

When she finally came to her senses, he tightened his grip in anticipation for her response.

He could feel her tugging her hands away from his, but he kept his hold, though he continued to be somewhat gentle.

"Knock it off, Beast Boy!" she growled.

He turned to smile at her, ignoring their close proximity as he felt her breath on his face. "But you're winning!" he laughed, gesturing to the screen.

She looked unamused as she continued her attempt at freeing herself, this time moving her arms around.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes as her movement cause her car to crash and the "Game Over" title to flash once more.

"There - we lost. Now let go," she deadpanned.

He complied reluctantly, though he didn't make a move to scoot away from her. He knew it was crazy, but the thought of the mystery guy showing up and sitting this close to her made his skin crawl and his stomach twist.

"Is he a hero?"

Raven gave him a confused look, and he felt a little proud that his question seemed to distract her from their current position. Even though it was innocent enough - their legs were only a few inches apart, and their shoulders were only lightly pressed against each others.

"Who?"

He rolled his eyes at her obvious attempt at playing dumb - something she honestly wasn't very good at.

"The guy you like," he elaborated, suppressing the unfriendly feelings the words had brought out in him. "Is he a hero?"

Raven's face reddened immediately, and he found her flushed appearance incredibly endearing.

"Oh," she squeaked, obviously reluctant to answer. "Uhm... y-yes, he's a hero."

Her blank expression contradicted with the blush on her face and the shakiness of her voice, but he decided not to pester her on it. Besides, the knowledge that this dude was a hero didn't sit too well with him; it meant that he probably _knew _the guy - and all the guys he knew weren't good enough for Raven.

"Like... a superhero?"

She rolled her eyes playfully at his question, and he could see her nervousness subsiding. "Yes, a _super_hero," she smirked.

Beast Boy tried to find a balance between his curiosity and not sounding too eager, but his mind was racing with the possibilities of who she was talking about.

"Is he a Titan?"

She arched her brow slowly as she regarded him carefully. "He's not a Justice League member, if that's what you're thinking."

A weight he hadn't been aware of had been lifted off of his shoulders at her answer, and he was able to feel a little relieved that he wasn't competing with someone from the big league.

But suddenly, he felt as if he were suffocating when he realized he had just mentally admitted that he was now in a competition with this dude...

Which meant Raven was now the prize... and he really wanted to win.

* * *

It's probably not that healthy to compete with yourself, huh? Haha poor BB. And I know I usually switch back and forth between their view-points, but I felt like I needed to expand a bit on his reaction, and didn't want to wait a whole chapter to do so. Next one should be Raven's again lol

Well, I woke up this morning and realized that I owe you guys three chapters today, so I guess it's a good thing that Mondays are technically my weekend lol. I can't even express how surprised and amazed I was by seeing those new follows and favs - I totally wasn't expecting them! So thank you guys so so much! It takes me like two-ish hours to type up a chapter, so the next one should be up in maybe three-ish hours? Haha

Anywhoo, you guys are so incredibly awesome! Leave a review if you want!


	24. Secrets, Suspicions, and Soy-Milk

I can't decide between buying the rights to the Teen Titans or going to Victoria's Secret and buying a butt-load of hoodies and perfumes. Decisions.. decisions..

* * *

Raven was still in shock over the fact that she had admitted that she was crushing on someone to Beast Boy. Sure, she left out the fact that _he _was who she was crushing on, but confessing part of the reason why her mind had been so frazzled lately had still been tough - yet... rewarding, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Maybe everybody was right when they told her she should talk about her problems more often.

"So does he have a cool power?"

She rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as the changeling continued to pester her for information. She was thankful he at least waited for the others to leave. They were now alone at the dinner table, since Cyborg was on the phone, most likely making his situation with Bumble Bee worse, and Robin had surprised Starfire with a romantic dinner on the roof.

Raven let out an exasperated sigh - if only a certain someone would surprise _her _with something like that. She glanced at her green teammate, who was looking at her expectantly.

"I suppose," she answered with a shrug. She found his ability to change into any animal he wanted fascinating, and she knew he thought it was pretty cool himself.

She watched as his mouth twitched ever so slightly, and a small pang of disappointment hit her senses. His emotions had been back and forth all day, and she knew that he was obviously having trouble with this new information, but she wasn't sure why. She was _hoping _it was due to his unconscious crush on her that Cyborg was convinced he had, but she knew realistically that it was probably just his protective nature wanting to shield her from heartbreak.

He was too good of a friend.

"Ugh, I can't take this! Please just tell me who he is!"

Raven jumped slightly at the changeling's outburst as he leaned in towards her, his eyes pleading with her. It wasn't entirely strange that he wanted to know so badly, since she knew he was rather nosy. But still, his insistence on knowing who she was crushing on caused her stomach to twirl pleasantly. She found that he seemed a little _too _curious for someone who was "just a friend".

"Why do you need to know?" she bit back, trying her hardest to suppress her blush and keep her powers in check.

Beast Boy waved his arms around frantically as he leaned in even closer. "'Cuz it's gonna drive me crazy not knowing!"

She tentatively scooted away from him as she kept her expression blank. "It's none of your business, Beast Boy," she deadpanned.

She felt another jolt of disappointment break through his curiosity, but an amused frustration clouded over it.

"I know, but you can't drop something like that on me and _not _expect me to pry!" he laughed awkwardly.

"I expect _exactly _that when I tell you something in confidence, and then ask for your understanding when I'm not comfortable spilling out all the juicy details," she replied, giving him a pointed look.

His ears lowered bashfully as he slowly leaned away from her. "There's... juicy details?"

"Beast Boy," she warned, though she knew she would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the attention.

He smiled sheepishly, raising his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright - I get it. You don't want to tell me. Fine," he grinned, before wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "I'm just gonna assume it's me, then."

She knew to expect some teasing, so she was mentally prepared for him to say something like that.

"You do that," she deadpanned, turning her attention back to her dinner.

Again, Beast Boy's emotions cut out for a split second, and she felt another wave of panic wash over her at his ability to do that.

* * *

The walk to her room was slightly awkward as she felt Beast Boy's impatience and curiosity chip away at her sanity. Despite agreeing to drop it for now, the changeling was obviously wanting her to elaborate. But she couldn't very well describe _him _to him. That'd be absolutely mortifying. _  
_

"Okay, can I just ask one more question?" he blurted, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around to face him.

She was incredibly grateful to the poor lighting in the halls for hiding her blush.

"Fine," she replied, congratulating herself on her steady monotone.

"And by _one more, _I mean one more for today," he laughed, causing her to roll her eyes.

"I'm fully aware of that," she drawled.

Peering through the dim light, she could see his mouth curl into a forced grin.

"Do_ I_ like him?" he asked, his emotions coming in like static once again.

Raven mulled over the question in her head, honestly not knowing the answer. She knew that despite his cocky front, Beast Boy was really insecure, and had a habit of self-loathing.

"I really hope you do," she answered honestly, giving him a small smile. "He's a really good person."

His lips formed a tight line as he nodded his head stiffly. "Right. Well, goodnight."

She watched in confusion as he hurried down the hall towards his own room, his emotions suddenly absent once more.

* * *

Raven awoke the next morning, feeling groggy. She decided a quick round of meditation before her morning tea would be a good idea, so she tossed off her covers and crossed her legs, before floating soundlessly above her bed.

And though she was attempting to find her center and inner peace, her head was swimming with thoughts of Beast Boy.

His behavior the day before was very strange, and she suddenly felt as if her confession had only increased her stress. It was nice finally being able to admit it to someone, but the fact that her reveal had caused the most peculiar concoction of emotions in the changeling was making her feel guilty.

If only he could send her a clear signal and ease both of their minds. She didn't want to assume anything, but she was feeling more and more confident that her green teammate felt _something _for her - otherwise she had no other explanation. But she couldn't very well let him know that she was crushing on him, for fear that he'd want to be something more than friends right away. And she was in no position to handle the emotions that would come from _that. _

So instead, she had to carry on like usual; answer his questions while keeping him in the dark. She couldn't flat-out tell him, but she didn't want to deny it either. She'd have to find a balance that would give him hope, but enough doubt to stop him from acting on his suspicions.

Being deceitful was something she hated to do, but it was the only way to spare her sanity.

About half an hour later, she decided to cease her meditation and make herself some well-deserved tea. Landing on her bed, she decided to remain in her pajamas - after all, not villain would dare to wake up this early on a Monday morning.

She took a quick peek in her mirror, satisfied that her bedhead was only slightly disheveled and her outfit of black pajama shorts and a dark-grey hoodie was acceptable. Slipping on a pair of dark blue slippers, she phased through her door and made her way towards the common room.

She was only mildly surprised to see Robin sipping a cup of coffee at the table while reading the newspaper. She was usually the first one up, but the boy wonder had been making it a habit of waking at the crack of dawn.

"Morning," she greeted, which only earned her a grunt as his eyes remained glued to the paper before him.

Raven allowed herself an eye roll as she dropped a teabag into her mug, before filling it with hot water from the already heated kettle - it seemed Robin was in a good mood this morning. Adding a spoonful of honey, she turned back around and stared at her leader expectantly.

She could tell he felt her eyes on him as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"All the leads are dead ends," he announced, his jaw setting in annoyance.

Raven hummed her acknowledgement, waiting for him to move on.

"And training yesterday was acceptable."

She rolled her eyes again, before giving him a pointed look.

Despite his mask, she was pretty sure he had glanced at her, and she watched in amusement as his shoulders slumped forward in defeat.

"And I apologized to Star, _again_, and will be making it up to her at the ball, okay?"

Raven allowed a small smile to spread across her lips as she directed her sights to the couch. Seeing one of her forgotten books lying on the coffee table, she decided that an early morning reading session would be quite enjoyable.

* * *

She read for about two hours, before an obnoxiously loud yawn alerted her of the changeling's presence.

"Morning, dudes!"

She refrained from peeking over her shoulder at him, and instead pictured him stretching his arms above his head as he regarded the room lazily. She could visualize him walking towards the refrigerator, and her timing was perfect as she heard him open the door.

"Awe, we're all out of soy-milk!" he grumbled, and she had to remind herself not to smile, since a certain half-robot was sitting beside her, flipping through the channels.

"Maybe it's a sign for you to drink some _real _milk," Cyborg mused automatically.

Raven let a small smirk surface as she heard her green teammate huff in frustration.

"Raee," he whined in her ear, suddenly right behind her. "Can you teleport to the store? I need to get soy-milk!"

She congratulated herself on her stoic demeanor as she turned her head to glare at him. "I'm not your errand-boy, Beast Boy," she deadpanned, ignoring the way his eye lit up in amusement.

"I'll go, too! And it'll be quick - I promise!"

She continued to glare at him, fully aware of the robotic titan beside her that was observing them curiously. Hopefully he'd keep quiet - if he made even the slightest suggestion that either of them had feelings for the other, Raven knew Beast Boy would piece things together and realize _he _was the mystery guy.

"No, Beast Boy."

His face fell slightly at her refusal, and she watched as he slowly trudged his way back to the kitchen.

"Dry cereal, it is," he mumbled to himself. She felt a little bad, but she knew that agreeing to go with him would only fuel the half-robots wild imagination and cause her powers to go haywire as she tried to deny his accusations without insulting Beast Boy.

Raven spared a quick glance at Cyborg, regretting it immediately. His smug expression was clearly conveying a thank-you-for-confirming-my-suspicions look, and she suddenly wished she had agreed to take Beast Boy to the store, because if Cyborg decided to open his mouth, her whole world would come crashing down.

"Sooo," he started slowly, a devious grin spreading across his face.

She was suddenly very grateful for her ability to teleport.

* * *

Here's chapter two of the three promised today! So obviously Cy's picking up on the growing bond between Rae and BB, and knowing him, he's sure to be a bit of a problem. But what could he really do - cock-block them like the giant cock-blocker he is? I swear, that was his main purpose in the show lol.

Anywhoo, thank you for reviewing/favoriting/following! You guys are amazing! :D


	25. Green With Envy

I. Don't. Own. The. Teen. Titans.

* * *

Beast Boy turned back towards the couch with his mouth opening in the start of a question, but he felt the words die in his throat as he observed the empty seat where Raven had been sitting not a moment ago. He turned his attention to Cyborg, giving him a questioning glance.

The half-robot merely shrugged. "Must have been something _you _said."

Beast Boy racked his brain for anything that would have set the half-demon off, but he came up short. What did he say?

He let out a lengthy sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat as he trudged his way towards the common room doors.

"I'll go apologize."

As he walked down the hall, he continued to replay their conversation. Neither had said anything out of the ordinary, so he had no idea why she had disappeared.

_Maybe it had to do with _yesterday's _conversation, _he mulled, stopping dead in his tracks as he remembered.

He had found out that Raven had a crush on some guy.

And he had realized that he had a crush on Raven. _  
_

At least, he was pretty sure that's what it was. He had noticed that her presence was electing some strange behavior from him lately, but he only thought it was due to his primal side getting antsy. But now he realized that it was a lot more than just that; his _human _side - his thoughts and emotions - were starting to see Raven in a new light as well.

_Perfect timing, _he thought sarcastically. It was really just his luck to figure all this out _after _she admitted to liking someone else.

Though _technically _she never said _who _she liked, Beast Boy wasn't going to give himself any false hope. Raven was elegant and poised, whereas he was awkward and clumsy. Raven was intelligent - he was absentminded. Raven was witty - he was immature.

Raven was beautiful... and he... he was _green. _

He could feel the bitter disappointment and jealousy build up inside of him, and he knew he had to squash it down before Raven picked up on it - the only thing that would make his pathetic crush on her worse was if she found out about it.

And god, that would be humiliating.

He hated having to hide from her, because in a way he was lying to her. But he knew that it was for the best - despite her cold exterior, Raven had a warm heart, and he couldn't stand to see her pity him. Plus, he feared that it would drive a wedge between them, since she would no doubt become careful around him to avoid giving him the wrong idea, which would, in turn, frustrate him to no end.

No, she couldn't find out about this.

He buried his troublesome emotions underneath his usual, goofy facade, and projected a feeling of remorse. After all, he was apologizing.

Once he reached her door, he knocked tentatively. After a long pause, he figured she must have gone to the roof, but as he began turning around, her door slid open.

He gave her a sheepish smile, before noting that her usual blank expression was clouded by what seemed like... hurt?

What the hell had he said to her?!

"Raven?"

She regarded him coolly, though he could see the pain in her eyes.

"Yes, Beast Boy?"

He felt a blush rise to his cheeks as he became lost in the depths of her eyes. How could someone seemingly so emotionless have such a captivating gaze?

"I'm sorry," he breathed, finally finding his voice.

Her reaction was strange; at first, she seemed to accept his apology, until her brows furrowed in confusion. She then tilted her head quizzically, and he got the distinct feeling that she was reading his emotions.

But why was she doing that?

He felt an overwhelming sense of panic build up inside of him, and he tried his hardest to block it all out. She couldn't find out about his crush - she just couldn't. No matter what, she couldn't know. He wouldn't be able to stand the awkwardness, nor the disappointment.

He could manage to live with the knowledge that she was completely unattainable, but only if she had no idea that he wished to obtain her. If he had to watch her snuggle up with her mystery guy, he'd do so - but only if _he _were the only one to know how much it'd hurt. If she _knew_, he was pretty sure his primal side would take over and _make _her like him back - it wouldn't be fair any other way.

Beast Boy realized how wrong that was, but unrequited love didn't hurt as bad when the other was unaware of it. And he didn't want to hurt any more than he did now.

It surprised him how quickly all these feelings were coming - it was as if he'd been feeling them for a while now. But he knew that was insane - he only figured it all out yesterday. His primal side was just influencing it, and his instincts to protect what was his weren't helping either. Though it did come as a shock to know his animalistic side no longer viewed her as a threat.

His internal struggle came to a halt when he remembered that he was supposed to be _suppressing _these emotions.

Raven was giving him a look of complete and utter confusion, and he breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized what his inner turmoil was about.

"What are you sorry for?"

Beast Boy tilted his head in confusion as well. "I... I have no idea," he admitted with a laugh. "I saw you disappeared, and Cy said it was probably something I said, so I just assumed I needed to apologize."

A small smile graced her lips, and he had to put in extra effort to keep his new-found appreciation for that smile from surfacing.

"I think it's a bad sign that every time I leave the room, you automatically feel the need to apologize," she mused, crossing her arms against her chest as she leaned against her door frame.

Beast Boy let out a flustered chuckle. "Yeah," he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, before a troubling thought crossed his mind. "Wait, if _I _didn't need to apologize, then why did you leave?"

Raven's smirk vanished almost instantly, her carefree demeanor along with it. She stared at him for almost a minute, and he again felt as if she were searching through his emotions once more.

Was he really being _that _obvious with his crush?

"I just wanted to grab some clothes before I showered," she replied suddenly.

Beast Boy inadvertently checked her out as he scoped out her current outfit; her pajamas.

His eyes quickly darted back to hers, and he breath a small sigh of relief that she hadn't seemed to notice his wandering gaze.

"And walking was too much effort?" he teased, earning an eye-roll and feeling a little more confident. "Psh, and you call _me _lazy!"

Her lips twitched as she fought a smile, and he watched as she used her powers to summon a clean uniform, before she pushed past him and towards the bathroom.

"That's because you _are _lazy, Beast Boy."

He rolled his eyes fondly as he watched her go, before he retreated back into his mind to sort out all his new feelings. No longer hungry, he made his way back to his own room, deciding to sulk in the privacy of his domain.

As the door slid open, he gave his room an unappreciative glance. Nobody would dare to call him tidy, but the usual disaster-zone that was his bedroom was now probably described as "cluttered".

He made his way towards his bed, before flopping down on the bottom bunk. And though he knew he shouldn't, his mind began going through a list of every titan who could potentially be Raven's secret crush.

He crossed off Robin, Cyborg, and himself immediately, since the former two had girlfriends, and the latter was, well, _him. _And he didn't want to give himself any hope.

Kid Flash was next - he also had a girlfriend, and Beast Boy doubted the empath would want to cross Jinx. And besides, neither would even want to fight over the speedster.

Jericho was a possibility - quiet, humble, and incredibly sweet. Despite being mute, Beast Boy knew the blonde had a better chance of sweet-talking the half-demon than he did.

And speaking of sweet-talkers - Aqualad was also a possibility. And he hoped to god it wasn't Aqualad. _  
_

He probably didn't have to worry about Speedy, since the dude cared more about his looks than Raven did.

And Raven didn't really know any of the other guys well enough to form an honest-to-god crush on them, so that left him with Jericho and fish-boy. And putting it into perspective, Raven didn't see the mute nearly enough to "wonder if he likes her back", so that left Aquadude as the lone suspect.

Again, Beast Boy's stomach churned uncomfortably - especially since he had the knowledge that the Titans East member _was _interested in the empath, meaning Raven's secret crush _did _like her back.

Though he knew that the Atlantean didn't like her anywhere close to as much as _he _did.

Burying his face in his pillows, he decided that today was a perfect day to fall asleep while wallowing in self-pity.

* * *

He awoke a few hours later to a persistent knocking on his door. Groaning in frustration, he pulled himself out of bed to answer it, groaning even louder when the door opened to reveal his fearless leader.

"Nice to see you, too," Robin barked sarcastically.

Beast Boy only glared in response.

Sensing that the changeling wasn't in the mood to talk, Robin began the mundane routine of grilling him.

"What's got you so mopey?"

Beast Boy continued to glare at the boy wonder. "None of your business, bird-boy," he bit back.

He could see surprise flash across Robin's face, and he almost regretted his outburst.

"If your behavior affects the team negatively, I have the right to find out what's wrong - " the leader began, but Beast Boy cut him off with another groan.

"Maybe if you came to me as a _friend _and asked me what was wrong, I'd be more inclined to tell you," he snapped.

Robin remained quiet for a few moments, obviously weighing the shape-shifter's words in his head.

"Well, if I do now, it wouldn't seem genuine," he mused, earning a snort of amusement from the green teen.

"No, it wouldn't," he agreed, giving his leader a smirk. "So maybe next time you should play the concerned friend card first."

The titan leader nodded his head dutifully. "Noted."

Beast Boy let out a sigh as he realized that Robin was still expecting an answer to his "mopey-ness".

"I'm just having a bad day," he explained - and it was partially true. Any day that consisted of you realizing your crush was crushing on some pretty-boy show-off would be filed under "bad".

"If you need to talk..." the masked titan began warily, before his socially-awkward self made a full appearance, "...uh... Starfire is always here for you."

Beast Boy let out a curt laugh at his leader's offer. "Thanks; tell her I appreciate it," he replied, rolling his eyes playfully.

Robin nodded again as he turned to leave, obviously feeling somewhat satisfied with the information Beast Boy had given him.

The changeling sighed again as he retreated back into his room. He knew moping around wasn't going to help, so he allowed himself the rest of the day to throw a pity-party.

And then tomorrow, he'd help Raven find out if her crush liked her back, like he promised.

Because Beast Boy was a good friend.

* * *

Poor BB, all sad and stuff. If only both of them would stop being emotionally-stinted idiots and buck up the courage to admit their loooooooove. Huh, wouldn't it be nice if someone had the power to control their every move, as if they were just characters in a story? ;)

Anywhoo, here's the third chapter I promised! You all were way too awesome by making me have to do this lol. I hope they didn't seem rushed or anything! Anyway, leave a review? Oh! This has reached 250 reviews, which is amazing! And it's so close to 100 favorites! Feel free to review, follow, or favorite! Maybe I'll be inclined to post _another _chapter?


	26. Karma

So get this - I _don't_ own the Teen Titans!

* * *

Beast Boy didn't come out of his room for the rest of the day, which worried Raven. His emotions were doing the static-thing again, but when she did pick up on them, they were rather neutral. She passed by his room several times, but realized bitterly that he was asleep. Robin had caught her the fourth time and explained that the green teen was having a bad day. Raven was just thankful the boy wonder hadn't asked _why_ she was hanging around outside of Beast Boy's room.

He didn't come down for lunch, nor dinner - and Raven was fairly certain he hadn't had breakfast, either. And Beast Boy loved eating. She had half a mind to just bang on his door and demand to know why he was being so... weird, but she realized that she'd be doing the exact thing she hated him doing. So instead, she spent her time meditating and reading.

Which, admittedly, was kind of boring.

She still loved her quiet time, but she loved Beast Boy's attention even more. It was nice; it made her feel special. It made her _feel. _

But now all she was feeling was worry, and a little bit of anger, because the stupid changeling wasn't taking his time to annoy her like usual. A part of her wondered if it had something to do with her admitting to having a crush - perhaps he was _actually _upset, despite not having any feelings for her. Maybe he wanted her to never be with anyone, so that he could annoy her as much as he wanted. Or maybe she was the fall-back girl, in case his "ladies-man" act didn't work out.

Both scenarios left a foul taste in her mouth, and she decided that when he finally _did _come out of his room, she'd give him a good smack on the back of his head - just for making her even _think _about all that.

Unfortunately, she had to wait til the following morning to do that.

She was refilling her tea when he finally made his grand entrance, which was basically a rerun of what he had done yesterday - yawn, greet, complain.

"There's _still _no soy-milk? Awe, come on!"

Raven was about to respond with a sarcastic quip, but instead decided to ignore him - she knew that it would drive him crazy. Plus, it was basically what he had done to her the day before.

She merely walked past him, bumping his shoulder slightly, as if she hadn't seen him. She could feel his confused gaze follow her to the couch, before the usual argument of fake-milk versus real-milk begun with the arrival of the half-robot.

Once the argument turned to fake-meat versus real-meat, Raven felt the need to blow something up. He was acting as if he _hadn't _been locked up in his room - _for no reason_ - the day before. And that pissed her off.

And the fact that everyone else failed to bring it up? That pissed her off even more. They all knew the changeling _wasn't _the happy-go-lucky, all-play-and-no-work jokester he pretended to be, but staying cooped up in his trash-hole of a room all day? That couldn't be healthy - physically nor mentally. If she had done the same thing, they'd all be standing outside her door in battle-mode, awaiting another demonic family member's arrival to enslave the human race.

"Beast Boy! It is glorious to know you are no longer unwell!"

Raven was suddenly very thankful for Starfire, who was apparently oblivious to the difference between pouting and puking. Deciding that seeing his reaction would be beneficial to figuring him out, Raven turned around to watch the scene unfold in the kitchen.

Beast Boy's face was turning a slight red as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Before, Raven had found the habit to be quite endearing. Now, it was just condemning him to a day full of angry-empath. How dare he try to be cute.

"Uh, yeah... I guess," he laughed uncomfortably.

Raven tried to stifle a snort of bitter amusement.

Cyborg was looking uncomfortable as well, and she could tell he was silently trying to stop Starfire from pressing further.

As usual, the alien didn't notice.

"Was it a sickness of the stomach?" she asked sweetly, not realizing the potential awkwardness of the conversation.

Beast Boy gave her a lop-sided grin as he pushed around his tofu eggs with a spatula. "N-no, I was just... not feeling... I mean..." he trailed off, and Raven could feel his embarrassment seeping off of him, along with something that felt strangely similar to regret.

"I was just really tired, you know?"

Starfire seemed to accept his explanation as she floated towards the refrigerator. "I do the seeing. So, it was a sickness of the head?" she continued.

Raven decided then that she would award Starfire's convenient prying with a trip to the mall.

Turning herself to become less suspicious, but still able to see any of the changeling's physical reactions, Raven attempted to look as if she _wasn't _totally eavesdropping.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Beast Boy piling his eggs onto a plate.

"I guess - but, like, I didn't have a headache or anything. I was just tired," he replied, making his way to the table.

Raven let out a groan of frustration as she had to re-position herself to still keep an eye on him. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice.

"So you were, as they say, 'emotionally exhausted'?" the orange titan wondered.

Raven could have sworn she saw Beast Boy stiffen slightly, but he shook it off with a shrug. "You could say that."

Starfire remained quiet, and Raven suddenly felt a little disappointed as the shape-shifter's focus returned to his meal. She sighed quietly as she looked down at her tea.

"So it had been a sickness of the heart?"

Hearing Starfire's final question, Raven glanced at the changeling to gauge his reaction, and felt her heart skip a beat as he glanced over at her. Their eyes met for a split-second, before Beast Boy tore his gaze away and began blushing furiously.

Confused, and a tad bit excited, Raven hurriedly tried to get a reading on the green titan's emotions, but again, they were absent. But that only confirmed her suspicions.

Beast Boy's hidden feelings were undoubtedly about _her._

* * *

Raven was pleasantly surprised that her discovery hadn't caused her powers to short-circuit anything. She was feeling a dangerous amount of curiosity and excitement, but her powers remained in check.

So far, she had continued with her decision to ignore the changeling, despite knowing that he was obviously feeling something for her that he didn't want her to know. She knew that talking to him would give her a better idea of whether these feelings were positive or negative, but she was a firm believer in karma. And if Beast Boy was going to shut her out for a whole day, then she'd do the same to him.

Her stomach fluttered pleasantly when the green teen figured out what she was doing. He had been somewhat avoiding her as well, but when the alarm sounded and Robin ordered the flight-enabled titans to the roof, Raven had conveniently forgotten to teleport Beast Boy with her and Starfire.

She obviously didn't see his initial reaction, but the confused glare he sent her during the mission confirmed that he wasn't happy.

After a quick win against Doctor Light, Cyborg had suggested getting some pizza, since the team hadn't eaten out in a while. Raven made a point to sit on the other side of the half-robot, so that the changeling would have a difficult time speaking to her around the obstruction. And though he never _specifically _directed any conversation towards her, she could sense his annoyance in his tone, as well as with her empathy.

Her resolve was weakened though when he came up to her after they returned to the tower. She had been making her way towards the roof to meditate when he caught her alone in the hall. She figured that having no witnesses would make ignoring him easier, but found the eerie silence after his question unsettling.

Since she had been so focused on pretending he didn't exist, she hadn't actually heard his question. But she wasn't about to ask him to repeat it. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow.

He sighed in exasperation, before asking her again.

"Are you mad at me or something?"

_Yes, _she thought automatically, but knew that he'd only ask why, and her reason would give her away. "No."

He blinked in confusion. "You're not?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she shook her head curtly. "No, I'm not. Is that all?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, though she wasn't sure if it was from anger or trying to see in the dim lighting.

"You seem mad."

She tilted her head to the side slightly, reminding herself that passive-aggressive was the way to go. "Do I?" she mused.

He let out a huff of frustration, before giving her a pleading look. "Okay, well - _just in case_ - I'm sorry. I was wrong. I didn't know. It was a joke. I should have known better. It was an accident. Silkie probably ate it. I won't do it again." He took a deep breath, before giving her a shy smile. "Did any of those cover it?"

This time, Raven resisted the urge to smile. Despite how truly irritating the green teen could be, she found herself liking him more and more. And with the knowledge that he possibly felt the same, she allowed herself to fall deeper.

"I'm sure some of those will come in handy in the near future," she deadpanned, though she could tell Beast Boy knew all was forgiven.

"And you say I never plan ahead," he laughed, causing Raven's lips to twitch into a small smirk. His carefree aura suddenly took on a serious tone, and she felt her stomach twist uneasily as she waited for him to continue. "Uh, Rae?"

Usually, the nickname filled her with a strange mixture of happiness and irritation, but this time, all she felt was a foreboding feeling of dread. "Hmm?"

He averted his eyes towards the ground as he scratched his arm nervously. "D-don't be mad, but I, uh... I figured out who you like."

Raven was expecting him to reveal his hidden emotions and either tell her he felt the same, or let her down gently, but instead all she felt was his nervousness, with a hint of annoyance.

"Y-you did?" she squeaked, grateful that nobody had bothered to put new light-bulbs in the hall lights. His emotions were cutting in and out all of a sudden, and she felt the strangest need to curl up in her bed with a tub of ice cream.

Beast Boy merely nodded, his face expressionless. Seeing it so blank made her wonder if he always felt this insignificant when she'd do the same to him.

"I don't w-want this to affect our friendship - " she began, feeling a prickling sensation behind her eyes. She begged herself not to cry about this - at least, in front of him.

He cut off her explanation with a wave of his hand, offering a small smile. "It won't Rae, I promise. Nothing could make me stop being your friend."

His words were bittersweet, but they didn't stop her powers from slowly peeling off the paint on the walls.

"And as your friend," he continued, his face relaxing slightly, "I am going to help you, like I promised."

Raven felt her disappointment turn to bewilderment as she arched her brows comically. "Like you - "

"And I had actually talked about this with him before, so I already know he wants to ask you on a date, so I called him back yesterday and left him a message. I was thinking that it'd be a good idea for him to be your date to the ball, so that you guys could kinda test the waters, I guess."

Okay, now she was _really _confused - what the hell was Beast Boy going on about? Who was this "he"?

"W-what?"

Beast Boy suddenly adopted a horrified look as he raised his hands in front of him in a defensive manner. "Oh! No, don't worry! I didn't _tell _him that you like him! I just let him know that he wouldn't be rejected if he asked you out!"

Raven felt the strangest rush of emotions, and couldn't tell if they were Beast Boy's or her own. But they seemed to only be fueling her powers as the floor boards began shaking.

"Who is _he?_" she asked incredulously.

Her green teammate furrowed his brows in confusion. "Uh... _Aqualad?_"

Apparently, Raven _didn't _need the light-bulbs to short-circuit the whole tower.

* * *

It seems like whenever Beast Boy tries to do something nice for Raven, it always goes horribly wrong. Can't the guy catch a break? Lol

Oh, and poor Aqualad! Hopefully they'll be able to get rid of that message before he hears it - despite being a pretty-boy show-off, he seems really sweet.

Anywhoo, omg this had passed 100 favorites! That's amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you fabulous people who have favorited, followed, and reviewed! And a big thank you to those of you who just read it! You guys are all beautiful and incredible and fantastic people!


	27. Favors

Disclaimer - please see previous chapter(s)

* * *

Beast Boy knew not to expect a _positive _reaction from his meddling, but he was in no way prepared for the burst of energy that shot out from Raven and throughout the tower. It had thankfully missed him, but he had heard a very unfortunate sound from within the ceiling, and the few lights that _did _work in the hallway suddenly exploded.

"_Aqualad?_" she repeated incredulously. She looked completely dumbfounded.

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly as he took a small step away from her - he wasn't positive that her powers were under control yet.

"Was that not... right?" he asked with a smile as a sense of pure panic began welling up inside of him. He _had _to be right - Aqualad was the only guy who made sense.

She shook her head slowly, and he couldn't tell if she was being condescending, or still in shock.

"Oh," he squeaked, taking another step back. "Well, that's awkward."

He held back a yelp of fear when he suddenly found a fuming empath a few inches from his face.

"_Fix this, Beast Boy,_" she growled, her hand hooking onto his collar and pulling him even closer. "_Now._"

If it had been under any other circumstances, Beast Boy probably would have enjoyed their close proximity, but the look of pure rage in her eyes kept his mind from wandering and his emotions from giving away his delight at their current position. Even though being so close to a beautiful girl was nice, the fact that she looked like she was going to _kill _him put a damper on it.

"H-how?"

Dread flashed in her eyes for a moment, and he could tell she was at a loss for words.

"Figure it out," she muttered, releasing him and rushing off towards her room.

He watched her go, a sense of confusion blanketing over him, until the angry voice of Cyborg bellowed down the hall.

"What the _hell _did you do to her?!"

Beast Boy turned around slowly, giving his best friend an innocent look. "What do you mean - "

"Nuh uh, do _not _play dumb with me, BB," the half-robot growled. "I _know _what dark energy looks like, and I can _tell _when it blasts through every socket in this tower! You're lucky I had upgraded our _important _electronics to withstand a blast like that, but we've still lost the toaster, and half of the lights, and Robin's hair dryer, and - "

"The game station?" Beast Boy gasped, his eyes widening in fear.

Cyborg merely huffed in frustration. "I _said _I upgraded all the _important _stuff."

Beast Boy sighed in relief, until he felt the robotic titan's glare on him once more.

"So, _again_, what the _hell _did you do?!"

The green teen gave his teammate a sheepish smile. "Don't worry - I'm gonna fix it."

He then turned around and raced after the empath, leaving the half-robot alone in the dark hallway.

Every instinct he possessed was begging him to run as he stood outside of Raven's door. Despite no longer seeing her as a _constant _threat, the animals inside of him knew that an angry, raging half-demon was something to avoid. But he couldn't avoid all of his problems (which all had to do with her in the first place), so he merely bucked up the courage and knocked on her door.

It slid open automatically, and he didn't even have time to scream as a tendril of dark energy pulled him in.

Surprisingly, when he opened his eyes, he was faced with the slightly calmed-down version of his crush, and they were both surrounded by the usual items that adorned her bedroom. Meaning she probably didn't banish him to another dimension. Yet.

"I'm guessing you didn't fix the problem, since it's only been three minutes," she hissed.

Okay, so she wasn't _totally _calmed down.

Hoping she'd find the familiarity of his toothy grin comforting, he desperately searched his mind for a solution.

"Don't you dare smile at me."

Okay, he was wrong again.

His smile disappeared instantly, and he gulped in nervousness.

"I can fix this, Rae," he whimpered, cursing himself for sounding so scared. But he _was _scared.

She continued to glare at him.

His mind began racing for a solution. He couldn't very well ask Cyborg to hack into Aqualad's communicator and delete the message, so that was out. He also didn't have the skills required to do it himself, so that was out, too. And with another glance into Raven's hatred-filled eyes, he knew asking her to teleport them to Steel City was also out of the question. So that left only one option.

He felt a fine layer of sweat seep through his forehead as he pulled out his communicator and quickly dialed in a number.

His heart rate quickened as the other person picked up.

_"Hey there, Beast Boy. Wasn't expecting a call from you."_

He nodded slowly, attempting to hide his fear as he glanced over the screen at the confused face of the empath. He felt himself blush as they made eye contact, and his eyes darted back to his communicator.

"Y-yeah, h-hey, Bee," he stuttered.

Bumble Bee merely smirked through the screen at him, and he could tell she enjoyed her authoritative aura. The Titans East leader was number three on his list of top-three scariest girls he had ever met. Raven was naturally number one, with Jinx as a close second.

_"Is Sparky using you to apologize for him?"_ she mused, looking off nonchalantly.

Beast Boy was about to correct her, until an idea popped into his head.

"Actually, he wanted to ask you something really important, but was too embarrassed, I guess."

The yellow-clad girl's eyes whipped back to his, and Beast Boy had to hold back a devious smirk at her obvious interest.

_"What'd he wanna ask?"_

Sparing another glance at Raven, he saw her eyebrows were arched in curiosity as well.

"I guess it's pretty important," the changeling went on, feeling less afraid as his mind raced with the hilarious outcomes that were sure to happen if he went through with what he was about to do.

_"Spit it out, green bean,"_ the Titans East leader snapped, causing his ears to lower slightly in submission.

"Uh, I'll get to it, b-but first, I, uh, need a favor."

He was once again filled with dread as Bumble Bee's eyes narrowed dangerously. _"_Excuse _me?"_

Again, he gulped in nervousness. Maybe Bumble Bee was tied as number two with Jinx.

"I-it's not anything big, I promise," he squeaked.

She still looked wary, but gave him a look that clearly said _go on. _

"So, uh... is Aqualad around?"

Bumble Bee looked entirely confused at his question. _"What?" _

Beast Boy sighed in frustration. "Is he?"

The yellow-clad girl looked unimpressed at the green teens impatience, but answer anyway. _"No, he's in Atlantis for a couple of days. He'll be back tomorrow though. Why?"_

"Did he take his communicator with him?"

Again, the Titans East leader looked bewildered._ "No, actually. He forgot it."_

Beast Boy peeked over at Raven, whose eyes were closed in what he assumed to be relief.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. It seemed as if everything was working out perfectly.

_"Why'd you wanna know?"_

No longer feeling terrified, Beast Boy gave his fellow titan a brilliant smile. "Alright, this is gonna sound really weird, but I left him a message yesterday... on accident. It was meant for this, uh, other fish-dude, and I don't want Aquadu -er, uhm, Aqualad to think it was for him." _'Cuz there's no way in hell fish-boy is gonna think he's got a shot with Raven. _

Bumble Bee tilted her head in curiosity. _"What'd the message say?"_

Beast Boy's eyes darted to Raven, who was again glaring at him. "Uh... I rather not say," he replied.

_"I could always just listen to it then,"_ the other girl mused, a glint of mischief in her grey-brown eyes.

Beast Boy suppressed a yelp of nervousness as he tried to maintain a serious façade. "If you do, I won't tell you what Cyborg wanted me to," he threatened.

Again, her eyes narrowed, and he could see her sigh in reluctance as the background behind her started moving.

_"Fiiiine."_

This time, the changeling suppressed a grin as he watched the Titans East leader enter the Atlantean's room. She made a show of picking up his forgotten communicator and waving it in front of her own, before flipping it open and scrolling through the messages. She then turned it around so Beast Boy could see the screen. His unopened message was highlighted, and her finger hovered over the button for a moment, before pressing it quickly. The word "DELETED" flashed across the screen.

Beast Boy let out a lengthy sigh of relief, before catching Raven's eyes and winking cheekily.

She still just glared at him.

_"Alright, so what did Sparky wanna ask me?"_

His relief was immediately washed away as a sense of fear overcame him.

"He... uh... he wanted to ask you to the ball."

* * *

Thankfully, it seemed the Titans East leader was too excited to fact-check Beast Boy's story as the changeling watched Cyborg out of the corner of his eye. He was still grumbling about the appliances they had lost during Raven's little... episode, but Beast Boy could tell the half-robot wasn't blaming the empath.

Instead, he sent an annoyed glare to the green teen every couple of minutes.

Beast Boy would merely smile innocently, before giving Raven a sheepish look.

She seemed to have forgiven him for the most part, though she definitely wasn't going out of her way to talk to him during dinner. He guessed she had felt rather embarrassed (and maybe even a tad bit betrayed) that he had gone behind her back and tried setting her up with Aqualad- who apparently _wasn't _her crush.

He knew that he should have felt horrible, which he sort of did, but he was mainly ecstatic. Raven _wasn't _crushing on fish-boy. Which meant the odds of _him _being her crush were a little better, though he knew not to get his hopes up.

_But the odds were better! _

He knew smiling at his salad like a maniac was sure to raise a few eyebrows, so he tried to reel in his delight. Especially since Raven could potentially pick up on it.

Sparing another glance at her, he felt like beaming as he found she was already staring at him. She looked away immediately, a small blush on her face. Beast Boy covered up the curl of his lips with a glass of water.

He knew not to think too much into it, but he couldn't help but feel hope rising in him. Raven _didn't _like Aqualad.

And the only other guys she knew well enough to _actually _have a crush on all had girlfriends.

Except _him._

Making up his mind, he decided that he was going to get to the bottom of who her mystery guy was. And if that meant asking her out on a date and seeing if it was _him, _he'd do it.

Because worse-case scenario - she'd say no.

And best-case scenario... well, he couldn't imagine it without totally giving away his feelings at the dinner table. Because no amount of suppression, nor focus on a dumb children's song, could ever hide the happiness he would feel if she said _yes_.

* * *

So it looks like BB's feeling a little more confident! He's not 100 percent sure that he's the mystery guy, but the odds are in his favor. And he's willing to risk it all to see if he's right! Hopefully he is! (Though we all totally _know _he is already lol)

Anywhoo, you guys never cease to amaze me with the reviews and follows and favorites! I literally wake up every morning _(feeling like P Diddy)_ and see a couple more, and I can't stop the dumb smile that spreads across my face! You guys always make my day!

And I was planning on writing and posting this last night, but I ended up going to Olive Garden (yum!), and then my brother made me watch Man of Steel (and can I just say that Henry Cavill is yummy as well? lmao)

Anyways, hopefully this chapter will get this story past 300 reviews! :D


	28. Mustard

I control the Teen Titans in this fic, but I don't own them... :(

* * *

The next morning, Raven found herself standing in the hall outside of her teammate's room, dressed in a pair of cropped leggings and a blue hoodie . She exhaled slowly as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. She knew that this would undoubtedly put a strain on her powers, but if she wanted to ease her mind, it had to be done.

Steeling her reserve, she tentatively knocked on the door.

At first, she wasn't even sure if anybody was in the room, due to the unnatural silence from behind the door. But it suddenly slid open, her teammate's green eyes giving her a questioning look.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she asked the one question she knew would change their relationship for good.

"Uhm, hello, Starfire. Would you like to go to the mall?"

The pure excitement that shone out of the alien's eyes was enough to blind the pale girl.

"_You_ are requesting a trip to the _mall of shopping?_ With _me?_"

It took everything Raven had as she nodded her head slowly.

* * *

Starfire hadn't looked this excited since Robin had finally mustered up the courage to ask her out. She was staring wide-eyed at all of the window displays, as if she hadn't ever been to the mall in her life.

Which Raven knew wasn't the case.

She had asked her why she was, well, more cheerful than usual, and Starfire had merely replied with something about it being an "exceptionally glorious day of surprise."

Raven had to agree - she was surprised that she had actually gone through with her silent promise. She knew the alien didn't have a clue that she had helped her empathetic friend when she was grilling Beast Boy in the kitchen; which, in turn, earned her this rare opportunity. Raven just hoped Starfire would realize that this _wasn't _going to be an everyday thing, and that it _was _just a special occasion.

"Perhaps we should do the shopping for the heels?" her redheaded friend suggested sweetly.

Raven merely nodded - this was _Starfire's _reward, after all.

The alien's face split in two as she grinned. "Glorious!"

She then hooked her arm with the pale girl's and pulled her towards the shoe department.

Raven glanced around helplessly as she took in the sight before her: the floor to ceiling shelves were covered in boxes of the footwear, ranging in every size, color, and even height. And glancing over at her awed teammate, she got the distinct feeling that they'd both be several inches taller at the ball.

Speaking of the ball, Raven suddenly remembered her slightly vertically challenged teammate. Beast Boy was _maybe _on the verge of 5'9", though he insisted that he just hadn't hit his last growth spurt, and that his powers messed with his human height. Raven herself was standing (not so) tall at the generous height of 5'5", meaning the four-inch heels Starfire was eyeing would put the empath at eye-level with the changeling, and cause Robin to have to look up at his orange girlfriend. Again.

Although Raven herself didn't mind Beast Boy's "shortness" (as Cyborg and Robin delicately called it, though the boy wonder was just barely 5'10"), she knew the green teen would feel a little self-conscious if they were the same height.

She knew Starfire would never let her get away with flats, meaning Raven had to again give her self an internal pep-talk as she scoped out the _three-_inch heels - as long as Beast Boy was _a little _taller, she knew he'd be happy.

As the empath wandered further from her alien companion, she caught sight of a sales associate barreling towards her. Giving the girl a look that clearly said _no, _the peppy blonde did an impressive one-eighty and skipped back to the other side of the store.

Smirking to herself, Raven then began the grueling task of finding the perfect pair of shoes to go with her perfect dress - something she never thought she'd be doing.

A pair of strappy black heels caught her eye, and using her powers, she was able to bring them down. An honest-to-god smile stretched across her face when she realized that not only were they in her size and matched her dress perfectly - they would still give Beast Boy a slight height-advantage. She wasn't sure why, but it seemed the universe was keen on making her experience at the ball worthwhile.

An excited squeal from Starfire knocked her from her musing, and she turned back around to see what the alien was so happy about.

"These shoes are spectacular!"

Raven gave the girl a tight smile as she tried to think of a polite way to tell her that red and pink didn't go together very well.

* * *

After a quick lunch at the little bistro in the mall, Raven was ready to return to the tower. She was in desperate need of a round of meditation, due to her exposure to the alien's excitement, as well as the strain the civilians' emotions were putting on her. Thankfully, the search for their shoes was over, and Raven had successfully talked the redhead out of her red pumps, and into a more modest, sparkly gold pair. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to persuade the alien from getting anything less than four-inches, so their leader was destined to be shorter than his date. But knowing how absolutely gorgeous Starfire would look, something told Raven that the boy wonder wouldn't mind too much.

Trying to stifle a weary sigh, Raven glanced over at her teammate as the girl attempted to leave a generous tip.

"Is it the percentage of fifteen?" she asked in confusion as she dug through her purse.

Raven felt herself shrug. "Just leave a five - I'm sure that's plenty."

Starfire looked unconvinced as she tried to do the math in her head. "But I do not wish to look ungrateful for the excellent service... Perhaps a ten would suffice?"

Again, the empath shrugged. "That's like forty percent, Star."

The alien made a face that clearly said she didn't mind as she put the corner of a crisp, ten dollar bill underneath her glass of water.

"Well, it is only fair that I do the making of someone else's day, since you had done the making of mine!" she grinned, gesturing to her bag of newly purchased shoes.

Raven gave her friend a genuine smile, happy she had gone through with her silent promise, despite the fact that the mall was the last place she wanted to be.

* * *

After another lap through the mall, the two girls returned home to the familiar sight of the boys playing video games. Raven was thankful her little power-surge yesterday hadn't ruined their gamestation, despite the fact that she had threaten to destroy in countless times. Even though the obnoxious sound effects the games (and the boys themselves) made drove her crazy, she knew it made them happy. And she liked it when her team was happy.

Speaking of happy, she felt another burst of joy from her fellow female titan, who had just opened the fridge (despite the fact that they had just had lunch).

"Oh! My everlasting gratitude to whoever had done the purchasing of the mustard!" she exclaimed, pulling out the condiment and taking a disgusting (though somewhat impressive) swig.

Raven felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she made her way to the couch and sat down delicately in her usual spot. Trying to ignore the fact that she was sitting beside Beast Boy, she attempted to look annoyed as she watched Cyborg and Robin battle it our for first place. It seemed her crush had been taking out of the running a while ago.

She held back a gasp of surprise when the green boy occupying her thoughts leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Just so you know, Cyborg totally cheated."

"Quit being a poor-sport grass stain. I won fair and square!" the accused-cheater defended, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Raven arched her brows curiously at the changeling, who mouthed a simple "he cheated."

Smirking at his usual excuse, Raven turned her sights back on the game. Cyborg seemed to have been winning when her and Starfire had returned, but it seemed the presence of the alien gave Robin new incentive, and the boy wonder was catching up. She found it odd that they could become so captivated by the racing game, and wondered idly about how it could distract them so well.

"...go to lunch?"

Raven felt herself blush as she realized she had just fallen prey to the same thing she was criticizing the boys for doing as she realized Beast Boy had just asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" she responded, giving him her full attention.

His ears lowered slightly, and a blush of his own began forming on his cheeks. "Y-you know, just to hang o-out - as friends! Friends hang out," he replied, and she could feel an increasing amount of embarrassment and disappointment seeping off of him.

She tilted her head in confusion, still unsure of what they were talking about. "What?" she repeated.

His emotions began doing the static-y thing again, and her curiosity of what he had initially asked her began to grow.

"Never mind," he muttered, turning his attention back to the screen before him.

Feeling her own disappointment set in at his dismissal, she tried one more time. "No, I meant 'what' as in I hadn't heard you, Beast Boy," she clarified.

His embarrassment became even more apparent as he laughed sheepishly. "Hehe, ohhh."

She suppressed a small smile at how endearing he was being, and waited patiently for him to continue.

Beast Boy turned to face her once more, but was having a hard time maintaining eye contact. "I, uh, I had asked if you wanted to like, get lunch or something," he mumbled.

Despite his lowered voice, Raven had heard him clearly as her heart sped up the slightest. _Is he asking me out?_ she wondered excitedly, before she remembered his earlier rambling where he had said the word "friends". Several times. But still, she felt a feeling of pure bliss ignite in the pit of her stomach.

"I just had lunch with Starfire."

She wanted to physically slap herself as the words left her mouth. Did she _really_ just say that? Did she _really_ just turn down the chance to go to lunch with her incredibly attractive teammate? Hell, she didn't care if she had to eat a whole other meal - the training regimen Robin had them all on kept her from gaining too much weight. Plus, she didn't eat much as it was, and her demonic heritage granted her with a lightening fast metabolism. So did she just _really_ turn down his offer?

He looked completely crestfallen as he opened his mouth to undoubtedly accept her refusal.

"But maybe we can get coffee?" she blurted.

His eyes widened in shock at _her _offer, before his signature toothy grin spread across his face.

"Sure! Coffee sounds great!"

She felt a smile of her own play at her lips, before she caught the knowing look Cyborg was giving her. Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, she used an almost invisible spark of her dark energy to tug on the half-robot's controller, causing his car to crash into the barrier of the track in a somewhat impressive explosion.

"Hell yeah! Robin is the CHAMP!" the boy wonder cried, jumping up from the couch in excitement and earning a congratulatory kiss from his alien girlfriend.

Raven held back a snort of amusement as Cyborg's jaw dropped in shock at his loss, and Robin's jaw clenched in disgust at his mustard-flavored reward.

* * *

Can I be honest right now? I HATE mustard lol

So I hope this chapter wasn't too girly, but I felt Raven needed to reward Starfire for her excellent (and accidental) detective work! Plus, I loooove shoe-shopping (and shopping in general)! And my favorite pair of shoes I own happen to be exactly like the ones Starfire just got! They're so pretty and sparkly and make me like five inches taller (and I'm like 5'5" and a half, so five inches more is pretty tall haha). I wore them for homecoming senior year, and was like two inches taller than my date, but whateves :P

Anyway, it looks like BB might have found the courage to ask Rae-Rae out, but took it back when he thought she was rejecting him. Hopefully their little coffee _date _(eeeee!) will go well!

And in other news, this had passed 300 reviews! That's so incredible! I know I say it all the time, but THANK YOU! You guys are absolutely amazing! Haha I should really look up a synonym for amazing, but it just describes you wonderful people perfectly :)


	29. Not-Dates

I would maybe be able to afford the rights to the Teen Titans if the food I buy wasn't so freaking expensive.

* * *

Beast Boy tried to reel in his nervousness as he quickly changed into something a little more casual - he figured his uniform would make their _not-_date seem super... not-date-ish, when he wanted to kind of make it a _little_ date-ish, just to see if she'd react positively. And then maybe confirm that _he _was her mystery crush. And _not _fish-boy - though he knew that already.

He decided on a green and black flannel and a pair of jeans, and plain black sneakers. It was cool and casual - _not _a tuxedo, but not too plain. Glancing in the mirror, he was suddenly thankful he had opted for a shower earlier that morning. His green hair was still in its usual spiky mess, but that was better than greasy. Smoothing it down a tad with his hands, he gave his reflection a cheesy smile.

With a quick spray of deodorant under his arms, he shoved his wallet in his back pocket and rushed out of his room.

He was somewhat surprised to find that Raven had changed as well; she was now dressed in black leggings and a form-fitting, grey, off-the-shoulder sweater. Casual. Like his outfit. But not as slouchy as her earlier outfit. Perfect for their not-date.

It gave him a sudden burst of hope that maybe, _just maybe_, she was thinking along the same lines as him.

She hadn't seemed to notice him yet as she headed for the common room, so he quickly caught up with her.

"Hey!" he greeted cheerfully.

She turned around with a confused look plastered across her face.

"Oh, hello," she replied in her usual monotone as her placid expression returned. "I... didn't realize you were behind me."

Her voice seemed to insist on an explanation to _why _she wasn't able to detect him, when her empathy _should_ have, but he only smiled sheepishly.

"I'm part animal, Rae - I can sneak up on my prey easily," he teased, winking at her cheekily.

Her eyebrow raised slightly, and he felt a sudden pang of fear that he was being too forward - after all, she agreed to hang out _as friends. _

"Prey?" she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you planning on having _me _for lunch? If you're that hungry, we can go somewhere with _both _coffee and food."

It took him a moment to realize she wasn't being serious, but when he did, he gave her his signature grin.

"Ha ha," he smirked, shaking his head in amusement. "I'm sure you're delicious, but I'd rather have a salad or something."

Again, she raised her eyebrow quizzically. "Are you insinuating that I'd be fattening?"

He felt all the color leave his face as he gave her a dumbfounded look. He was pretty sure rule number one when talking to girls was to never, _ever_, call them fat - or even _joke _about it.

"N-no!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him frantically. "I wasn't insinuating anything! I just meant that I didn't want to eat you - not that I think you'd taste bad or anything! I just don't want to eat my friend, you know? Plus, I'm a vegetarian! And _not _a cannibal!" He attempted to regulate his breathing before having an all out panic attack. "Oh! And you're totally _not _fat!" he added quickly.

Raven continued to stare at him blankly, before her lips twitched into a small smirk.

"I was kidding, Beast Boy."

He let out a flustered sigh, giving her a small smile. "Oh, heh..."

She snorted in amusement before changing her route and heading for the elevator. Naturally, he followed behind her.

"So where do you wanna go, then? 'Cuz it's totally up to you!" he started, nudging her shoulder slightly as he walked side-by-side with her through the doors. "I feel like I owe you for almost setting you up with Aquadude, so it's my treat!"

She gave him a sideways glance as she pressed the button for the garage. "Almost humiliating me beyond words only gets me free lunch? Or rather, coffee?" she mused.

He let out a huff of amusement as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh, well, what else would you want?"

She shrugged halfheartedly as she focused her eyes forward. "I don't know..." she trailed off lazily, before a smirk appeared on her lips. "Your soul."

Beast Boy let out a nervous giggle. "You're, uh... you're kidding again, right?"

The elevator doors suddenly hissed open, and she stepped off without answering him.

He followed behind, his voice raising an octave. "_Right?_"

* * *

Beast Boy attempted to hide his glee from being with Raven under a thick layer of jealousy. Cyborg had apparently given her permission to use the T-car whenever she wanted - so long as _she _was the only one to drive it. So naturally, when the changeling asked for a turn behind the wheel, she shot him a dirty look.

"Do you _really _think I'd let _you _drive?" she asked incredulously.

He held his hand to his chest in offense. "What is _that _supposed to mean?" he scoffed.

Raven merely turned her attention back to the road, opting not to answer him. Again.

Muttering under his breath, he, too, directed his sights to the road as he crossed his arms over his chest.

She continued to drive towards a part of town that he wasn't all too familiar with. He had given her free reign on where to go, but he hadn't realized how well she seemed to know the city - after all, she barely left the tower as it was. But she apparently knew of a really good lunch/coffee place for their not-date that happened to be all the way across town. Not wanting her to sense his surprise, nor his curiosity, he began singing another song in his head.

They passed by a fast-food joint, famous for their glorified slaughtering of chickens, and Beast Boy couldn't stop a scowl from appearing on his face. But it was quickly doused by a childish grin as he turned his attention back to the empath.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" he asked excitedly.

She peeked over at him from the corner of her eye, before looking at the road once more.

"Just when I felt my appetite returning," she muttered under her breath.

Beast Boy furrowed his brows in annoyance as he turned away from her again. "I highly doubt my jokes _actually _make you sick," he bit back.

Again, she refrained from answering him as she parked on the side of the road, in front of a quaint café.

"We're here," she deadpanned with an unenthusiastic twirl of her finger.

Beast Boy tried to suppress a smile at the adorable action - it was so totally _Raven _of her. He opened his door and pulled himself out of the car, giving the place a scrutinizing look. He was filled with a feeling of pleasant surprise as he realized where she had taken him.

"A _vegan _place?"

Raven merely shrugged as she walked around the car and onto the sidewalk beside him. "If you insist on paying, I suppose it should be for something you'd actually enjoy," she mused casually.

He gave her a genuine smile of gratitude, honestly touched by her thoughtfulness. "That's, like, really nice of you, Rae."

She scoffed in mock-offense, pressing her hand against her chest. "Am I not, like, really nice all the time?"

He rolled his eyes as he playfully bumped his shoulder against hers. "It's definitely not _never_, but 'all the time' is pushing it."

She let out one of her rare, refined giggles and made her way towards the entrance. Again, Beast Boy quickly followed.

"So are you gonna get something to eat?" he questioned curiously. He would totally pay for it if she wanted something, but vegan food _was _pretty expensive - despite the fact that _fake _meat costing less than _real _meat seemed more logical.

"I don't think so - coffee should hold me over until dinner."

He nodded politely at her response, suddenly feeling very awkward as a barista showed them to a table. _He _knew that they weren't actually on a _date-_date, but he could only imagine what the employee was thinking when two semi-famous superheroes showed up together to have _lunch. _Well, lunch and _coffee. _Sure, lunch was probably the least romantic of all the meals, but it was just the two of them. Alone.

He attempted to suppress his anxiety as he sat down across from the empath in a small booth in the corner - most likely the _preferred _booth for _couples _on _dates. __  
_

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" the blonde barista/waitress asked politely as she handed them both menus.

Beast Boy watched as Raven's eyes skimmed over it quickly, before giving the girl a blank look.

"An iced mocha, please," she deadpanned.

The blonde nodded professionally, before turning her attention to Beast Boy. "And for you, sir?"

He gave her a toothy grin as he tried not to blush. _This chick probably thinks I'm on a date with Rae, and she's totally gonna tell the cook, who will tell the delivery guy, who will tell his boss, who will tell - __  
_

"Sir?"

He could feel his face heat up as the girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Uh, can I get a... uhm... strawberry lemonade?" He tried not to cringe as he thought of how unmanly his choice was.

The blonde nodded politely as she scribbled it onto her notepad. "Alrighty, I'll be back with your drinks in a minute!"

"Thank you," Beast Boy replied as she turned to leave.

She merely gave them both a coy smile, and he felt his anxiety return.

Trying to calm himself down, he turned his attention to his teammate, who was giving him a strange look.

Knowing that he couldn't have gotten anything on his face, since they hadn't even ordered yet, he raised his brows curiously. "What?"

She continued to stare at him a moment longer, before snapping out of it with a shake of her head.

"Nothing," she deadpanned, focusing on the menu in front of her.

Beast Boy felt a knot form in his stomach as he picked up on the subtle shift in her mood.

"What?" he repeated, leaning towards her slightly.

She continued to avoid eye contact as she pretended to read the menu. "Nothing," she shrugged, her eyes darting back and forth sporadically. She was silent for a moment longer, before fleetingly meeting his gaze. "She was pretty, wasn't she?"

Beast Boy's eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the randomness of her question.

"Who?"

Raven flipped over her menu nonchalantly as her eyes focused on it once more. "The waitress - she was pretty."

The changeling tried to picture what the girl had looked like, feeling a little embarrassed at his poor memory when his mind came up blank.

"Uh, maybe?" he guessed.

Raven's eyes met his once more as she arched a brow. "Maybe?"

He shrugged sheepishly as a smile appeared on his lips. "I, uh... I don't remember what she looked like," he admitted with a light chuckle.

His pale teammate continued to look skeptical. "It hasn't even been a minute."

Feeling his embarrassment heighten, he let out another nervous laugh. "Well, I didn't really get a good look at her," he defended playfully.

Raven's face contorted into a look of utter bewilderment. "But you were feeling..." she trailed off, glancing at her menu once more. "Never mind."

Beast Boy wasn't sure whether he should have been relieved or terrified as a small smirk graced her lips.

* * *

Uh oh! What was BB feeling?

So it seems like their _daaaaaate _is starting off pretty well - and they're both being exceptionally nice to one another! That's a good sign, right?

And excuse me while a make a quick rant - why the _hell _is vegetarian/vegan food so damn expensive? Like seriously, I spend so much money on that stuff - money that I could use for more important things! Like shoes! Grrrr!

Anywhoo, leave a review? Lol

Oh! And again, thank you reviewers/followers/favoriters!


	30. Phone Numbers

One order of _I don't own the Teen Titans but I'm pretending I do _coming right up! :D

* * *

Raven observed Beast Boy closely as the waitress returned with their drinks. He had claimed to not have noticed her looks, but every time she appeared, he'd send out bursts of nervousness. But as the empath focused on the changeling, she realized he _wasn't _looking at the blonde as much as he was stealing glances at _her. _And the occasional sweep of the restaurant.

She felt a little better knowing that he was indeed telling her the truth - well, at least _part _of it. _  
_

Raven took a tentative sip of her drink, before scowling at its taste. It wasn't necessarily _horrible, _but the obvious soy products left a foul after taste in her mouth.

Beast Boy seemed to have noticed her reaction as he giggled quietly.

"Wanna trade?" he smiled, gesturing to his strawberry lemonade. Raven was about to decline the offer, but it _did _look refreshing.

"Sure," she deadpanned, handing him her drink and taking his. She took a small sip, ignoring the fact that she was using the same straw that his own lips had just been on. Smiling at the taste of _real _fruit, she mumbled a quiet "thank you."_  
_

Beast Boy merely waved his hand in nonchalance, sucking up a good amount of the mocha with _her _old straw. "No, thank _you!_" he laughed, gesturing to his new drink. "This tastes amazing!"

Raven arched her brows skeptically, but knew not to argue with him.

He turned back to his menu, and she could feel his excitement radiating off of him. He must have _really _liked the drink.

"Ooooh! They have _everything!_" he exclaimed cheerfully as he literally bounced in his seat. "I don't know what I want!"

Raven picked up her own menu, opting to _actually _read it this time. She felt her eyebrows join her hairline when she realized the place _did _have a lot of vegan options. No wonder Beast Boy was practically glowing.

"What are you gonna get?" he asked expectantly.

Raven's eyes darted back to his.

"Nothing," she deadpanned. Hadn't she explained that to him already?

Beast Boy's lower lip jutted out as he gave her a pleading look. "Can't you just get _something?_" he whined.

She merely lifted her drink into the air, before taking another sip.

Beast Boy's eyes had followed the action, before he shook his head and looked away, a small blush apparent on his cheeks.

Curious, Raven probed his emotions. Her eyes widened in surprise when she was _actually_ able to get a reading on him, though it was brief. Regardless, she undoubtedly sensed how flustered he was feeling.

And _she _had caused him to feel that way._  
_

Beast Boy cleared his throat awkwardly after he took another generous sip of his beverage. "Well, maybe you'll be up to a dessert later?"

Raven let out a exasperated sigh as she glanced out the window beside them. "If that mocha is anything to go off of, I probably won't enjoy anything."

She could see him nod nervously from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah... but you never know!" he insisted with a flash of his usual grin. "And just in case, we can get something small to share, or..."

He trailed off awkwardly, causing Raven to tear her eyes way from the window as she gauged his expression. Again, he was blushing as his eyes raced across his menu. That flustered feeling was seeping off of him, and it seemed as though he wasn't even _trying _to hide it anymore.

Which Raven found incredibly interesting.

"I guess it depends on what it is," she mused, suppressing a smirk as his eyes snapped back to hers.

His expression could only be described as dumbfounded, with his mouth agape and eyes wide. Well, _adorable _worked quite nicely as an alternative.

"O-okay," he stuttered, his surprise blatantly obvious.

Raven directed her attention back to her own menu, taking her time to read the dessert options.

"Are you guys ready to order?"

She stifled an annoyed growl as the perky blonde waitress returned.

"Uh, yeah... I'll have a veggieburger with sweet potato fries," Beast Boy smiled politely.

Raven kept her eyes on him as he looked at the waitress, but felt herself sigh silently when she realized he was only watching her hand as she scribbled down his order.

"Alrighty; and for you?"

Raven opened her mouth to decline wanting anything, but Beast Boy quickly interjected.

"She'd like a small green salad with olive oil dressing," he grinned, giving her a wink.

She was about to deny his claim, but the waitress had already nodded in understanding as she wrote it down.

"Mmkay! I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Raven attempted to muster enough annoyance to send him a death glare, but at that very moment, her stomach decided to voice its agreement with the changeling by growling quietly.

Naturally, Beast Boy had heard it. But rather than say anything, he merely gave her a knowing look.

Raven cursed her bodily functions for defying her - she had _just _eaten a small salad at the little bistro in the mall. Was that _really _not enough? It had barely been an hour!

"Sorry, Rae."

She gave her green teammate a surprised look as he avoided eye contact.

"It's fine," she started in exasperation. "It's just a small salad, and I could always - "

"No, not about the salad," he interrupted quietly.

Raven tilted her head slightly in confusion. What else did he need to apologize for -

"I meant I'm sorry about the 'meddling' thing," he elaborated, still keeping their gazes from meeting. "I just thought I was being a good friend, but I shouldn't have assumed anything. Especially when I know how..." he trailed off suddenly, finally looking her in the eyes.

"How difficult it is for you to _like _somebody."

Raven tried to tame the swelling feeling of gratitude and affection swirling in her stomach as his words echoed in her head.

_It's a lot easier than you'd think, _she thought bitterly as she fought back a blush. How could his eyes carry so much warmth?

"It's... it's fine, Beast Boy." She cringed internally at her monotone voice, but the smile that appeared on the changeling's face let her know that he didn't mind. He was just happy she forgave him.

And the feeling of pure bliss bubbling out of him confirmed it.

"Good," he breathed, before a mischievous glint twinkled in his eyes. "So, how about you _tell _me who the dude is, and I can _actually _be useful?"

Raven narrowed her eyes at his nosiness. "How about I deal with this myself, and you _try _not to be a total nuisance?" she bit back.

Beast Boy merely waved her retort away nonchalantly. "No can do, Rae! It's my duty as your best friend - "

"Self-proclaimed," she muttered, but he gracefully ignored it as he continued.

" - to ensure that you are always happy and smiling, and if this dude will make that happen, then I'll make _you two _happen!"

Raven smirked at his cluelessness. _He _was the "dude", and was already doing a successful job at making her smile. But she knew it was up to _her _to make _them _happen.

"I'd like to figure things out on my own," she deadpanned, taking a small sip of her drink. "But thank you, anyways."

Again, Beast Boy resorted to his usual tactic of pouting. "But Raeee! I wanna heeeelp!"

She attempted to stifle a snort of amusement at his disgruntled expression. "And by acting natural and being yourself, you _will,_" she smirked.

He looked confused by her logic, and for a split second, she worried she had given herself away. But as his brows furrowed in thought, she realized he hadn't picked up on her subtle hint.

"So this dude, is like, around the _both _of us?" he questioned seriously.

Raven could feel a slightly hostile, _betrayed _feeling pouring off of him as he waited for her answer.

"I... I don't want to talk about it, Beast Boy," she replied firmly. "The whole reason we're even out _having _this conversation is due to the fact that you've meddled once already. Not that I don't enjoy your company, but I'm not sure about another _pity _meal so soon."

She watched as a guilty smile stretched across his face as he soaked in her words.

"Alright, alright - no more meddling," he agreed. "_Today..._"

Raven let out a huff of frustration at his answer, but decided to accept it for now. "Good. It's not that I don't trust you, I just - "

"One veggieburger with sweet potato fries!"

Reining in her growing feeling of annoyance, Raven glared at the approaching waitress, who was giving a _more-than-friendly _smile to her green teammate as she set the food before him.

Beast Boy nodded his thanks as his eyes remained focused on Raven.

Not fond of being interrupted, Raven attempted to finish what she had been saying. "I just - "

"Oh! And your salad should be done soon," the blonde interjected in a bored tone, casting the empath an unimpressed look. Raven tried to ignore the less-than-pleasant emotions seeping from the waitress, and idly wondered why she seemed to trigger them in every civilian girl she encountered.

Giving the girl another glare, Raven waited for her to leave. Resisting the urge to let her rage take control, she ignored the flirty smile the blonde directed towards her teammate.

"Huh, why would your _salad _take longer than my _veggieburger?_" Beast Boy mused, blissfully oblivious to the silent feud between the empath and the employee.

"Because she's flirting with you," Raven snapped, internally slapping herself for sounding so... _jealous. _

Beast Boy's eyes widened comically at her response.

"_What?! _W-with _me?!_"

Raven let out a huff of frustration at her teammate's lack of attention. "Well, she obviously isn't flirting with _me; _otherwise _I'd _be the one with the food right now," she mused, before noticing the waitress had "conveniently" left her notepad on the table next to his plate - her phone number undoubtedly scribbled onto it. "_And_ her number."

Again, Beast Boy looked bewildered, before he, too, noticed the "forgotten" slip of paper. "Well, that's awkward," he replied, laughing nervously.

Raven arched her brows in surprise. "Awkward..?" she mimicked.

The green teen nodded his head as his arm "accidentally" knocked it to the floor. "Well, it _will _be, when someone else finds it," he smiled.

Raven tried to keep herself from smiling back as the blonde returned, placing a surprisingly pleasant looking salad in front of her.

"Sorry about that - the cook couldn't find the olive oil," she explained, though Raven couldn't help but notice the girl frantically glancing at the ground. "Enjoy."

Nodding stoically, she tried to keep herself from giggling at the disgruntled look the blonde shot Beast Boy, before bending down and retrieving her "forgotten" notepad and heading back towards the kitchen.

The changeling let out another flustered laugh, obviously noticing the shift in the waitress's demeanor as well.

"Something tells me we _shouldn't _order anything else," he mused, popping a fry into his mouth. "'Cuz I'm not really fond of other people's saliva in my food."

Raven ignored the disgusting way he talked with his mouth full as she felt a small smile tug on her lips. She glanced at his half-empty mocha, wondering idly why his rule didn't seem to apply to sharing drinks with her.

"Perhaps we can go somewhere else for dessert."

* * *

Eeee! Looks like Rae-Rae's attempting to extend their _not-_date for a little longer!

So I don't know about all of you, but I'm a little weird when it comes to sharing drinks. I'm okay with it if it's with a close friend, but even then I tend to wipe the side of the cup (I can't seem to bring myself to share a straw, unless it's with a boyfriend/guy I like haha). And I feel Raven would probably feel the same, since she seems like someone who wouldn't want to spread/contract germs (unless it involved Beast Boy, of course)! ;)

Anywhoo, leave a review? That'd be cute :P


	31. Trust

Maybe I _do _actually own the Teen Titans, but I'm just lying to you guys... ;)

* * *

Beast Boy was at a loss for words as he watched Raven snatch another fry from his plate. He found it amusing that the usually stoic girl was being more playful than normal, but he couldn't bring himself to point it out; he didn't want her to _stop. _He probably hadn't seen her smile so much in one setting - sure, they were nothing more than her signature smirks, but it was still surreal. And the fact that it was happening with _him? _That was absolutely amazing.

He wanted to say something - _anything_ - to let her know how much he was enjoying himself, but he didn't want her to get the impression that they were on a date or something. Even though he was kind of considering it a date - well, more like a test-trial of a date. He wanted to know whether or not it could work between them, because he didn't want to get ahead of himself again.

Raven was in the midst of stealing another one of his fries when he realized he was being uncharacteristically silent. Not wanting her to become curious as to why he wasn't reacting, he gently slapped away her hand.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as her hand slowly retracted back to her side of the table. Taking a lingering sip of her lemonade, she continued glaring at him, though he could see the flash of amusement in her eyes. She was playing along.

He wanted to say something witty, but his tongue felt heavy and his throat felt dry. Why couldn't he find anything to say? Sure, he wouldn't ever claim to be the clever one (that title would probably suit the empath better), but his brain had never failed him like this. He was speechless.

"Usually I anticipate your moments of silence, but it's honestly a bit unsettling."

Beast Boy tried not to wince at the sound of her monotone voice pointing out what he was just stressing over.

He opened his mouth to reply, his voice cracking in an embarrassingly prepubescent way.

Raven merely arched a brow as she snatched another fry.

"Haven't heard that happen in a while," she commented dryly, taking a bite (a small, delicate _bite _from a _fry_) and swallowing it quickly. "Not that I'm one to be sentimental, but I kind of missed it."

"Huh?" he croaked out eloquently, finally finding his voice, but his brain was still unfamiliar with the use of "words".

She shrugged politely as she popped the rest of the fry in her mouth. With another sip of her lemonade, she continued. "Everything was a whole lot simpler back then," she mused.

Now it was his turn to arch a brow - what was she talking about?

"What do you mean?" he managed.

Her eyes glanced around the restaurant slowly, and he got the most peculiar indication that she was _stalling. _

And Raven was always one to get straight to the point - unless she wanted to drive him up a wall.

"You know," she began, her eyes returning to his. "Back before all..." Again she paused, before gesturing to the both of them with a wave of her hand. "Before all _this _happened."

Beast Boy felt his breath catch in his throat as his mind desperately tried to figure out what she had meant. Was she insinuating that she knew he was pretending this was an actual date? Was _she _pretending, too?

"Before we grew up."

His heart sank as she answered his thoughts.

"R-right," he agreed, trying to hide his disappointment with a large bite from his half-eaten veggieburger.

Raven broke eye contact again as she nodded her head slowly. He watched her purse her lips in thought, and his instincts screamed that she was about to do something he wasn't going to like.

"And before you started hiding from me."

He knew his eyes were bulging from their sockets, and he was suddenly very grateful that he had swallowed his food, as his mouth was hanging open in what he knew to be a very unattractive way.

"W-wha..?"

"I mean," she interjected, casually stirring her drink with her straw, before taking another sip. Pursing her lips again, she tilted her head slowly to the side. "I... I _know _you're hiding something from me, and I guess what I'm trying to say is... I..."

She trailed off again, and Beast Boy suddenly became very aware of his surroundings. He was seated directly across from her in a restaurant full of civilians and breakable objects. And if she was already having this much of a difficult time trying to _ask _him what was wrong, he couldn't imagine the damage she'd cause when he actually _told _her.

Well, _if _her told her. Unless she already knew.

_Oh god. _

"I feel like you don't trust me..."

He tried to keep himself calm as he took a deep breath, immensely thankful that her eyes were focused on her drink and not on him. He was also happy (and, admittedly, _surprised_) that nothing had exploded.

_Yet._

Keeping his voice level, he tried to discreetly avoid answering her without flat-out lying.

"I _do _trust you, Rae..." His eyes darted between her and his half-eaten lunch. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."

Okay, so he lied about not lying. But what else was he supposed to say?

His ears lowered in submission as her eyes snapped to his.

"No, you _don't,_" she deadpanned, though he could see anger and hurt in her eyes. "And you _do _know what I'm talking about. Damn it, Beast Boy - why are you _lying _to me? What are you _hiding?_"

He felt the color drain from his face as he desperately tried to keep himself from blurting out everything. He _wanted _to tell her; he really _did. _But he _couldn't. _He wasn't supposed to like her in the first place, so he _had _to hide it. And she was never supposed to figure out he _knew _how to hide things.

If only he could be absolutely certain of who her mystery guy was. If he found out it was _him, _he could be open with her again. But if it _wasn't, _he'd have to keep hiding. He couldn't bear the thought of her knowing he was crushing hard.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. It was devious, and admittedly cruel, but it was the only way he could figure out what he needed to. And yes, he realized how selfish, and childish, and _nosy _he was being. But at least he was being himself.

"What are _you _hiding?" he bit back, internally cringing at the look of utter shock on her face. Which was a strange sight - he hadn't seen her façade slip so easily before. He figure it meant he was getting somewhere.

"_Excuse_ me?"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation, tossing a fry at her playfully.

"Don't play dumb, Rae," he sighed, pretending as if their whole conversation was such a burden. "You're the one who's keeping _me _in the dark, when _I'm _trying to be a good friend here. Maybe if _you _opened up a little, I'd be inclined to do the same."

She stared at him incredulously, and he could tell that she was at a loss for words at his valid points.

Suppressing a smirk at the rare occurrence of making the empath speechless, he continued lazily. "I mean, I _know _you're not an open book or anything, so I figured you'd be understanding of _why _I like to keep some things to myself; specifically, my _emotions. _Honestly, I'm shocked you had even noticed. Are you attempting to sense my emotions for any particular reason..?"

He trailed off, hoping she'd take it as an invitation to confess her undying love for him.

He tried not to wince as her plate cracked in half from her powers. As his eyes darted between her untouched salad and her amethyst eyes, he wondered idly if he had pushed her too far.

_Again. _

"I don't want to _tell you_," she began through clenched teeth, obviously trying to keep her emotions and powers in check.

He was starting to feel really bad, and hoping it'd maybe calm her down, he decided not to suppress his guilt.

"..._because_..." she continued, her knuckles turning white from gripping her glass so hard. He wondered how she hadn't shattered that as well.

He waited a few moments for her to finish, but soon realized she had no intention of doing so as she abruptly stood from the table. He felt his heart sink as she turned away to leave.

"I rather not have this conversation in public," she deadpanned, her back towards him and her voice low.

He cocked his head to the side curiously - she hadn't teleported away yet.

She slowly looked over her shoulder, and he felt his breath hitch as their gazes connected.

"Perhaps we can... get that dessert first," she suggested, maintaining eye contact and keeping her voice steady. But he could tell by the twitch of her lips that she was nervous. And most definitely _not _looking forward to sharing with him.

Snapping out of his pondering, Beast Boy stood from his seat quickly, nodding like a maniac as he pulled out his wallet and tossed a fifty on the table. He knew that there was no way their meal had cost that much, but he didn't want to wait around for change. Plus, he figured it'd be nice to leave the waitress a good tip, since he had probably damaged her ego a bit back there.

But did she honestly expect him to call _her _when he was sitting across from _Raven _in a very date-like setting? He didn't want to be rude, but bleach-blonde hair and baby-blue eyes paled in comparison to the beautiful jewel-tones that Raven's features possessed. Purple _was _one of his favorite colors.

And Raven was pretty hot.

He quickly followed the empath out of the restaurant and to the T-car, letting his emotions run rampant - though it was mainly his curiosity and anxiety for what she wanted to tell him.

He kept his feelings for her hidden though; after all, they hadn't gotten their dessert yet.

With that thought, he suddenly found himself regretting his large tip. He still had to _pay _for that dessert.

* * *

Sorry for the late-ish update! I was out of town again lol

Hmm, I wonder if Rae-Rae is going to tell Beast Boy how she feels? (Knowing me, probably not - I'm planning on clueing BB in a _bit, _but no full-on confessions of _loooove _(yet ;P))!

Anywhoo, leave a review? And I realize the tiptoeing around their feelings is hella frustrating, and I have the perfect ending in mind, but they're just not to the point I need them to be at, so please bear with me? :3 (Oh, and some of you have guessed _when _and _where _I'm having the big reveal occur, and *spoiler* you guys are right lol *end spoiler*

Gosh, I'm too predictable!

...Or am I? ;)


	32. Ice Cream Cake

I will one day write a book and own _those_ characters, but for now I'm stuck writing fanfictions of characters I do not own - like the Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven kept her eyes on the road as she drove aimlessly through the city. She had no idea where there would be any vegan-friendly desserts, and though she had seen Beast Boy eat non-vegan ice cream before, she didn't want to just assume he'd be up to it again.

But she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he wouldn't be eating as much as he'd be prying for information. It really irked her how horribly her attempt at getting him to open up backfired. Sure, she knew she wasn't being very subtle, and maybe her approach was a little harsh, but his back-and-forth emotions were driving her crazy.

She spared a quick glance over at him, and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was already looking at her. His face immediately went bright red as their gazes connected, and he quickly looked away.

She suppressed a grin as she, too, turned her sights back onto the road. Making up her mind, she decided that ice cream was the best option. Taking a sharp right, she began driving towards the team's usual ice cream joint.

"And Cyborg lets _you _drive," Beast Boy muttered under his breath.

Raven sent him a playful glare as she continued towards their destination. She kept casting him curious looks as they neared the ice cream parlor, hoping to gauge his reaction at going somewhere non-vegan. Thankfully, he didn't seem upset.

"Is..." she began slowly, unsure of what she was asking. "Is this okay?" she asked, gesturing to the quaint, 50's inspired parlor they were parked in front of.

Beast Boy glanced out the window, before turning back to Raven with one of his signature grins.

"You're asking if _I'm _okay with _ice cream?_" he asked incredulously, a small smirk playing at his lips.

Raven let out a huff of amusement as she got out of the T-car and headed towards the front entrance. She could hear Beast Boy behind her, doing the same.

If you'd ask her, she'd probably deny it, but the little parlor was one of her favorite places to go. It was quiet, despite being quite popular, and the 50's inspired decor was, admittedly, cute. And she'd probably deny this too, but, Raven _loved_ ice cream.

As she entered the building, her eyes swept across the interior out of habit. Robin had drilled it into his team's heads to always be on alert, and she couldn't help but scan for any possible threats.

She quickly took in the sight of a small birthday party and a young couple sharing a sundae, and suddenly felt a quiet, content feeling drape over her. The atmosphere was sickeningly sweet, but for some reason, it didn't bother her. It was nice.

She felt her lips tug into a small smile as she caught sight of her green teammate eyeing the colorful decorations of the birthday party. Despite legally being an adult, Beast Boy's mentality would forever be that of a five-year old - well, at least when it came to the simple delight he found in cake and balloons. And even though one would peg Raven as a girl who valued class and maturity, she found his simplistic joy endearing.

"I want ice cream cake..."

Raven followed his gaze to the colorful birthday cake surrounded by children. Thankfully, the kids were too preoccupied with the dessert to notice the two superheroes standing a few feet away. Public outings were rather uneventful for the titans, unless children were involved. While most adults would wave in greeting or nod in appreciation, children tended to... swarm.

Beast Boy was a favorite - for obvious reasons. Shape-shifting and being green were a given, but Raven deduced that their similar levels of maturity had a bit to do with it as well. That, and their sense of humor.

Surprisingly, Raven was popular among the kiddies as well. She pretended to find it irritating, but when the others weren't paying attention, she would sometimes grace the kids with a smile, and even use her powers to levitate a few objects for their entertainment. Apparently, things floating in midair was pretty cool.

Raven suppressed a small smirk as she grabbed the collar of Beast Boy's shirt and pulled him away from the potential mini-mob and towards the front counter. After all, he was paying.

"Welcome to the Jukebox! What can I get you two?"

Raven let out a relieved sigh as she gave the male employee in front of them a tight smile. He looked to be around their age, and his cheesy smile complimented his cheesy uniform perfectly. She couldn't help but picture Beast Boy in a similar job, if he weren't a titan. Ice cream and birthday parties seemed right up his alley.

"Do you guys serve single slices of ice cream cake?"

Raven stifled a snort of amusement at her teammate's sudden eagerness for the dessert. In all honesty, she found the concept of ice cream cake strange - not as puzzling as fried-ice cream, but it was still peculiar dessert.

The blonde worker looked confused for a second, before giving the changeling a brilliant smile that rivaled even his own. "Well, not usually, but for you two, I'm sure the boss will make an exception!"

Beast Boy mimicked the employee's grin as he turned to face Raven.

"You hear that, Rae? We can get ice cream cake!"

Not wanting to put a damper on his enthusiastic love for the strange dessert, the empath merely sighed in amusement.

"Oh, joy."

Raven waited patiently as Beast Boy pulled out his wallet and paid for their purchase. She then watched as the employee pulled out a purple and green cake from the display cooler, and cut two generous slices.

"Alright, here you guys go!"

Beast Boy quickly swiped both plates and hurried towards the back of the parlor to a more secluded area. Raven _knew _he was only doing this to avoid being recognized by the party-goers, but she _pretended _it was because he wanted some alone time with her.

But as she followed behind him, she suddenly realized that his chosen spot was perfect for having private conversations. He was going to try to get her to talk.

She sat down tentatively, inspecting the plastic booth carefully, as not to sit in any melted ice cream. Plus, it bought her a few more seconds to figure out how to avoid their upcoming conversation.

"Dude, this place rocks. I'd even consider _always _eating dairy!" Beast Boy laughed, taking his fork off of the plate and stabbing into his cake.

Raven sat down slowly, before doing the same to her own slice. It wasn't as bad as she had imagined, but the textures took some getting used to. And the temperature was a bit of a shock - despite being an ice cream _cake, _it wasn't something to savor. Well, unless somebody wanted a brain-freeze.

"Do you like it?"

She glanced up from her slice and met Beast Boy's expectant gaze. She knew if she voiced her honest opinion aloud, he'd be nothing short of crestfallen. And the fact that he was willingly eating dairy, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, caused her to hold back her initial dismissal of the forgettable dessert. Instead, she decided to stretch the truth.

"It's mind-blowing. The most amazing ice cream cake I have ever had," she deadpanned, punctuating her sentence with another forkful.

Beast Boy grinned at her response as he took another bite as well. "Knew you'd like it," he mused, his mouth full of purple and green.

Raven shook her head in amusement as she ate a little more. She was actually starting to like it.

"So," Beast Boy began suddenly, knocking Raven from her thoughts.

She looked up quickly to meet his gaze, but he was focusing solely on his plate.

"I, uh..."

His nervousness was pouring off of him, and Raven couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I... I know you wanted to, uh, wait til we weren't in public, but..."

Okay, it was a _bad _thing.

"...but I think we're secluded enough to speak, uh, freely..."

Raven swallowed the lump in her throat as she, too, directed her sights to her own plate. She knew it was coming, and that this conversation was unavoidable, but she _really _didn't want to confess anything in an ice cream parlor while classic Elvis was playing. It really wasn't her style.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy," she began timidly, knowing he wasn't going to be happy as she avoided the question again, "but it's really none of your business, who I like. I know we're friends, but that doesn't give you the right to _all _of my deepest, darkest secrets."

She spared a quick peek at him, cringing internally at his disgruntled expression. He was obviously unsatisfied with her answer.

"I _know _that," he replied curtly, still keeping his eyes focused on his plate, "but I want to _help!_ If you'd tell me who this dude is, I could _help _you, Rae."

Raven sighed in exasperation as she stabbed into her cake slice. "I appreciate that you want to help, but I have to figure all this out on my _own. _My powers are unpredictable, and - "

"Bullshit, Rae!"

Raven let a small, surprised gasp slip out at his harsh tone. Beast Boy was glaring daggers at her, and if it wasn't for the cheerful decor surrounding them, Raven might have been a little scared. He looked beyond angry - almost enraged. She couldn't understand _why _he seemed so upset by her reasoning.

"Excuse me - "

"I've had it with your 'powers' excuse!" he exclaimed, interrupting her for a second time. "I mean, sure, _sometimes _you slip up and explode a light bulb or two, but it's been happening less and less! Hell, you're practically going _days _without an incident, and then all of a sudden you have this big ol' secret, and your powers go all spazzy again. Can't you see that they're obviously connected? You need to just open up! If you keep all this bottled up, you'll explode! _Literally!_"_  
_

He ended his rant with a deep breath, avoiding eye contact once again.

Raven wanted to yell back; to disprove everything he had just said. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She really had been keeping under control until her crush started getting worse. And then Cyborg's conspiracies hadn't helped much. And Beast Boy's ability to block out her empathy was the tipping point.

She was a mess, that was true. But keeping it all inside was only making things worse. She needed to let it all out.

The sudden obnoxious beeping from her pocket interrupted her thoughts. Her and Beast Boy automatically pulled their communicators out and flipped them open, only to be greeted by the face of their leader.

_"Trouble, downtown. Not sure who it is, but they're making a mess."_

Raven nodded determinedly, somewhat thankful for the alert. Maybe she didn't necessarily need to _open up -_ finding an outlet to open-fire on seemed more appealing.

* * *

Sorry for the late-ish update - busy week! I'm out of town again, and have been subjected to the title of babysitter, since I'm the youngest adult in the vicinity lol. Though despite my tender age of almost twenty, I took my younger brother and young cousin to see How to Train Your Dragon 2, and definitely enjoyed it more than them lol. I'll admit it, I had shed a tear or two (more like bawled my eyes out - thank god for 3D glasses haha)

Anywhoo, here is a nice little dramafied update, chock-full of ice cream and arguments! Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review? And forgive me for the wait? :)


	33. Distracting

I don't own the Teen Titans. Or a house. Just saying

* * *

Beast Boy growled in irritation as he picked himself off of the pavement. The H.I.V.E. Five were at it again, though it was a bit of a relief to see the absence of Jinx. She was still on the fence of becoming a fully fledged hero, but her days as a villain were in the past. At least, that's what Kid Flash had said.

Regardless, Beast Boy was grateful that the pink-haired girl was no longer calling the shots with the pack of criminals. Gizmo had apparently claimed the title of leader as his shrill voice barked out commands. And sadly, it seemed as though the others were listening, since Beast Boy found himself embedded in a pile of rubble - courtesy of Mammoth, who had thrown him into a building.

As he tried to calm his spinning head and shake off the dust, he surveyed the battle before him.

The large, auburn-haired meta-human was now preoccupied with throwing cars at Starfire, who was too busy blasting several of Billy Numerous's clones to notice. But before the changeling could yell out a warning, a blast of blue energy quickly knocked the car away from the alien.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah and rejoined the fray. With speed on his side, he charged towards a freshly teleported Kyd Wykkyd, who failed to notice the green feline in time.

Shifting into a gorilla, the green titan promptly graced the mysterious villain with a blow to his head, effectively knocking him out. As he regained his human form, Beast Boy looked around in confusion. He wasn't sure what to do with the unconscious criminal at his feet, since the guy's powers were still a bit of a mystery to the team.

Shrugging lightly, he gave the cloaked villain one more bang on the head for good measure, before charging back to the action.

His eyes automatically zeroed in on the empath, who was holding her own in a fight with the technology-reliant toddler. Well, he knew Gizmo most likely wasn't _that _young, but the twerp still had a lot of growing to do. _  
_

Beast Boy's instincts were screaming at him to help the pale girl, but he knew that she could take care of herself. Instead, he decided that taking down Mammoth was a bigger priority, since the dude was a huge liability, and apparently very fond of destruction of property. Morphing into a hummingbird, the green titan positioned himself directly over the super-strong villain, before shifting into hippopotamus. With a strangely satisfying squish, Beast Boy returned to his human form and surveyed the damage.

Mammoth was successfully subdued, lying unconscious on the road.

With two of the five down -

Suddenly a loud blast, followed by the surprised shriek of See-More, sounded from behind the changeling.

_Make that _three _down, _Beast Boy laughed to himself, before his focus returned to the half-demon, who was still quarreling with the twerp.

Again, his instincts begged him to intervene, but Beast Boy resisted. It was weird enough that they _wanted _to help Raven at all - and it'd be even weirder trying to explain that to the empath when she'd grill him for "interrupting" her.

In an attempt to distract himself from helping the pale girl, Beast Boy morphed into a leopard and took a hold of Mammoth's foot. Dragging the large dude was a bit of a challenge, and in all honesty, kind of disgusting, but the changeling successfully piled him onto a still-unconscious Kyd Wykkyd.

In what he was sure to be a hilarious way, Beast Boy began gagging - still in leopard form - from the foul taste the villain left in his mouth.

"Hairball?"

Sending what he hoped was a successful death-glare to his leader, Beast Boy shifted back into a human.

"The dude tastes like bacon grease," he groaned, wiping his mouth clean of any excess spit. "Or, at least what I imagine that stuff would taste like."

Robin let out a refined chuckle as he tossed an apprehended See-More onto the growing pile of criminals, before slipping his serious façade back on.

"Go help Raven with Gizmo - he has some weird device that keeps dissolving her blasts, and I don't want Cyborg short-circuiting or anything."

Beast Boy was about to ask why Starfire couldn't help her instead, but knew that it would only cause the boy wonder to question him. Sighing in defeat, he morphed back into a hummingbird and flew towards the empath.

Robin hadn't been exaggerating - every blast of dark energy emitted towards the pint-sized villain disappeared as it neared him. He was continuously pressing a small red button on his wrist beforehand, so using commonsense, Beast Boy deducted that that was the cause. Deciding to take down the little dude in a similar fashion to how he handled Mammoth, Beast Boy hovered a few yards over him, before morphing into a seal.

But in the few seconds it took to descend towards the earth, Raven had suddenly appeared in the place of Gizmo, who was apparently not anticipating the roundhouse kick to his little head. Thankfully, Beast Boy had noticed the change of his target at the last minute and quickly reverted back to his human form.

Though something lighter would probably have been better appreciated.

He landed on top of the unsuspecting half-demon, and the two fell to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

"Shit shit shit shit," he began frantically as he tried to untangle himself from her. "I'm so, so sorry, Rae!"

Raven merely glared at him from her pinned position, obviously resigning herself and allowing him the honors of prying himself off of her.

"You're an idiot," she deadpanned, not even blinking as she continued to stare at him with hostility.

"I said I was sorry!" he exclaimed, finally managing to untangle his fingers from her hair. He had somehow gotten the digits stuck in her violet locks - probably from his reflex of using his hand to soften the blow to her head when they landed on the ground.

She replied with a slight growl as they both stared at the stray hairs newly detached from her scalp.

Beast Boy gave her a sheepish smile as he successfully pulled himself off of her, before offering her his hand.

He could see the slight reluctance in her otherwise blank expression, but she surprisingly took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet as well.

At least, he _attempted _to.

The sound of fabric ripping notified both titans that Raven's sweater had snagged on a piece of cracked pavement.

At the noise, Raven had automatically released her hold and landed on her butt, a look of horror etched across her face as her hands flew to the accused material behind her.

"Help me," she hissed, looking over her shoulder.

Beast Boy gulped in nervousness as he knelt down beside her. He could see that the sweater was now a lost-cause; it was basically torn in half. The back of her collar was the only thing keeping the garment from becoming a backwards cardigan.

But as his eyes continued to survey the damage, he realized one incriminating little detailed that brought a furious blush to his face.

He had been staring at Raven's back for the last minute. Her _bare _back.

There was an alarming absence of bra-straps, or anything of the like. Realistically, he knew the empath would never go _completely _bra-less, since she was a few turtle-necks shy of a total prude, but whatever she had on underneath the flimsy fabric of her sweater, it _wasn't _the traditional, two-strap bra.

Thankfully, his mortification was blocking out any enjoyment he might have found in the situation, and judging by the suddenly stiff posture of his teammate, she was picking up on it.

"I can't walk around with my shirt torn in half!" Her sudden outburst caught the changeling by surprise as he stumbled onto his own behind. But as he was trying to save himself, he had grabbed onto her sweater and successfully turned it into a cardigan.

Thankfully, Raven hugged her arms to her chest as the garment flitted in the slight breeze. In all honesty, if she kept her arms in the same position, the sweater would still keep her... more personal bits concealed. But Beast Boy knew she'd refuse to walk around in a back-less sweater.

Thinking quickly, he began to unbutton his flannel shirt, beyond grateful he was wearing a shirt under it. Though even if he wasn't, he'd rather himself go shirtless than risk anybody seeing Raven half-naked.

But apparently Raven didn't realize this as she gave him a look of horror.

"What the hell are you _doing?!_" she screeched incredulously.

Another fierce blush consumed Beast Boy's face as he could only imagine what she must have been thinking.

"You said yourself that you can't walk around like this," he explained shakily, feeling as if he'd die of embarrassment, "and I'm wearing two shirts, so it's the most logical solution."

He saw from the corner of his eye as Raven's pale face flushed.

"O-oh. Right."

* * *

With the embarrassment of the situation with Raven still fresh in his mind, Beast Boy did everything to avoid her for the rest of the day. Instead of sticking around in the common room to debrief with Robin, the changeling had convinced Cyborg to take him to the med-bay and help with a few of his more serious wounds.

In all honesty, his injuries were nothing more than a few scrapes and cuts, but Cyborg seemed just as eager to get out of debriefing as he was. Though for different reasons, obviously.

"So where'd you and Rae run off to?"

Beast Boy knew that Cyborg was only making small talk, since his job of giving him the right antiseptics was done. Now the half-robot was just awkwardly standing there killing time as Beast Boy applied the medicine to a rather deep cut on his forearm.

"Lunch," he replied curtly, not wanting Cyborg to tease him - after all, lunch was the least sexy of all dates.

Not that they had been on a date.

"Oh, a lunch... _date?_"

The green teen didn't even have to look at his best friend to know he was grinning deviously.

"N-no," Beast Boy stammered as he begun treating his other arm. "Just lunch, dude. I, uh, owed her for something, and was just p-paying up."

"Uh huh..."

Again, Beast Boy felt his cheeks flushing. He had barely come to terms with his crush on the half-demon, and he was in no way ready to let anyone else know. Except maybe Raven.

His mind suddenly began replaying his day with her, starting from their bantering in the elevator, all the way to her shyly slipping on his shirt. His primal side had finally decided to make an appearance as Beast Boy's senses picked up on the strangely inviting aroma of his scent mixing with hers. He literally had to restrain himself from pouncing on her by lodging his foot into a crack on the street. It was uncomfortable, but the awkward position his ankle was in kept himself from lunging towards the empath.

"...we didn't lie to each other, but whatever."

Cyborg's voice jerked Beast Boy out of his thoughts as his eyes darted up from his wounds.

"Huh?"

The half-robot shook his head in amusement, before repeating himself. "I _said, _I thought we didn't lie to each other, but _apparently _you don't trust me."

Beast Boy scoffed at his best friend's accusation. "I do trust you, Cy!" he replied incredulously. "I'm _sorry _if I don't feel like having girl-talk with you and pouring out my soul like a chick, but I _do _trust you. And me and Rae weren't on a date!"

Cyborg merely shrugged his shoulders as he held his hands up in defense. "Hey, hey - calm down, BB! No need to get all worked up," he smirked.

Beast Boy felt his eyes narrow as he sent his best friend a fierce glare. "Then can you stop pestering me about Raven, for once in your life!"

The robotic titan let out a confused laugh at the changeling's sudden hostility. "Sorry, man. I didn't realize it upsets you so much."

With a labored sigh, Beast Boy quickly went back to patching himself up - and _not _thinking about Raven. Or how good she managed to look while practically drowning in his shirt. Or how enticing she had smelt. Or how the green had brought out the purple in her eyes and -

_Shit, _he thought bitterly, as he caught himself thinking about her again. Obviously his willpower alone wasn't enough to keep his mind from wandering, so he sent a pleading look to his robotic teammate, who was staring into space in thought.

"What's got you all distracted?" he asked hesitantly, hoping Cyborg wasn't offended by his earlier outburst.

The half-robot redirected his sights on the changeling, before shrugging noncommittally. "Awe, nothing, man. Just, I was talking to Bee earlier, and she was going on and on about dresses and stuff, and... Do you know if the Titans East were invited to the ball, too?"

Beast Boy felt the color drain from his face as he stared wide-eyed at his best friend.

_Shit._

* * *

Hopefully BB can survive until the ball - because I'm pretty sure once _both _of Cyborg's dates show up, our favorite little changeling will become roadkill. And hopefully he can confess his feelings to Raven beforehand - otherwise all of our little hearts might break. Or you all would just get really frustrated with me and tell me mean things. Lol

Anywhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And in case any of you were confused (guys, especially lol), there actually are these little backless strapless bras (they're sticky and more supportive than just tape) that you can buy for shirts that are also backless/strapless. They're actually really good to use for dresses, since nothing looks worse than wearing a pretty gown and having your bra peeking through lol

You're welcome for that little tidbit of needed-to-know info. Leave a review? ;)


	34. Surprises

Disclaimer: I disclaim the claim of me claiming the Teen Titans!

* * *

Raven stared blankly at her reflection. Though she had immediately teleported to her room to change once the team got back to the tower, she found herself still in Beast Boy's shirt.

It was soft. And warm. And smelled like him.

Which, surprisingly, didn't smell bad.

Starfire had given her a peculiar look when her and Beast Boy had piled into the T-car, and Cyborg unsuccessfully tried to stifle a snort of amusement when everybody clambered into the garage. The only person who didn't have an outward reaction was Robin, though Raven knew the boy wonder most likely filed it away for future pondering.

Was wearing Beast Boy's shirt _really _that big of a deal?

_Yes. _

Raven rolled her eyes at that thought. It _shouldn't _have been a big deal, but for some strange reason, it _was. _And for an even _stranger _reason, Raven didn't want to change out of it.

But that meant she couldn't leave her room.

Sighing wistfully, she slowly turned from her mirror and sauntered over to her bed. Despite the time being early in the evening, she was incredibly exhausted.

_Emotionally, for sure, _she groaned internally, plopping onto her bed. She quickly shimmied out of her leggings and kicked them off of her feet, before pulling her covers over her and turning herself into a half-demon burrito. With a labored sigh, she gently drifted off to sleep.

Raven's dreams hardly ever made sense. They mainly consisted of blurry images and obscure visions, which never came to be. If she had to, she'd describe them as abstract, though nobody ever really asked. Except Beast Boy.

He seemed to always be the exception.

But back to the point; for some reason, this dream was different.

She was standing alone, on what appeared to be a floating rock - similar to those which resided in her mind. At first, she suspected she had entered a meditative state on accident, rather than falling asleep. But upon further inspection, she realized that the calm feeling her meditation produced was absent, and instead, she was feeling anxious.

Which was a sure-sign of a nightmare.

Groaning internally, she attempted to wake herself up - despite her uneventful dreams, her nightmares could get rather creative. She always _knew _that she wasn't really awake, but the fear would still swallow her whole, and she'd wake up in a panic - and most likely destroy something.

But for some strange reason, her usual tactic of jumping off of something wasn't working. In fact, she couldn't move at all.

Feeling a new wave of panic wash over her, Raven mentally counted down from ten - that'd usually fire up her brain enough to wake her. But once she reached one, she still found herself standing at the edge of the rock, unable to move.

She was stuck.

Taking a deep breath, Raven decided to distract herself - at least until she could wake up. Thinking logically, she tried to decipher what her dream meant.

She was stuck in her mind, all alone. Obviously her subconscious was trying to tell her something.

_"Rae?"_

She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of her name. Only two people could get away with calling her that, and only one of them had the nerve to relentlessly abuse the privilege.

_"Raeee?" _

It was Beast Boy's voice she was hearing. She was dreaming about being stuck in her mind, all alone, while hearing Beast Boy.

Did this mean she was subconsciously unsatisfied with her approach towards Beast Boy? That her mind was drawing a blank on how to deal with it all, and that she was figuratively stuck on making a decision? Or was she reading too much into this, and it was nothing more than a dumb dream?

"Rae!"

Raven's eyes shot open as she sat up in her bed, staring at her door.

A loud, pounding sound came from the other side of it, and she realized that Beast Boy actually _was _calling her name.

She quietly pulled herself out of her bed and slowly made her way towards the door. Thankfully, her peripheral vision caught sight of her reflection, and she realized she was still in her green teammate's shirt, as well as pants-less.

She was about to change into something less embarrassing, but the knocking on her door got progressively louder, and a feeling of impatience wafted over her.

"Oh my god, Raven! I know you're in there!"

Furrowing her brows in slight irritation at the changeling's tone, Raven merely adjusted his shirt to cover her underwear, since it was plenty big on her anyways. Suppressing a smirk at how hilarious his reaction was bound to be, Raven walked to her door determinedly, before sliding it open.

"What the hell took you s - "

But Beast Boy was unable to finish his sentence as his jaw dropped in what Raven assumed to be shock.

"I was changing, but I presume that whatever it is you have to tell me is far more important," she deadpanned, mentally congratulating herself on her control.

She watched in amusement as Beast Boy's eyes darted around in confusion and his face flushed in embarrassment. Despite how hard he seemed to be trying to not flat-out gape at her, she found that his eyes continuously wandered towards her legs. Though for what reason, she wasn't sure. It wasn't as if he had never seen them before.

As his face blushed brighter, she hoped that hers wasn't doing the same. She could feel his mortification as if it were her own (though it very well could be - she was, after all, stepping out of her comfort zone to get a rise out of the green teen), but underneath the embarrassment was a hint of that unnameable emotion she had sensed from him days before.

It seemed as though shocking the boy into a state of flustered confusion was the only way she could get a good reading on him. Which meant she'd have to do stuff like this more often.

"D-dinner's ready," Beast Boy stammered, his stare now glued to the floor. "But, uh, you should probably put on s-some pants..."

Raven again had to suppress a smirk as she toyed with the hem of his flannel shirt. "Really?" she replied sarcastically.

She could almost see the internal debate he was having within himself, and the rush of his confusion and apprehension was making her feel dizzy - in a good way.

"Y-yeah," he choked out, his eyes quickly darting up to meet hers. "And uh, I'm gonna want my, uhm... my shirt back sometime," he continued with a small smile.

Raven knew that she was pushing it as it was, but the opportunity of seeing him flounder even more was too good to pass up.

"Of course," she replied stoically, before reaching for the top button. "Do you want it right now?"

As her fingers toyed with the button, the feeling of Beast Boy's emotions abruptly stopped while his eyes widened.

_Damn it, _she thought bitterly, though his facial reaction was still amusing.

"N-no!" he squeaked, taking a step away from her. His head whipped to the side as he looked down the hall longingly, before he continued. "Just, uh, give it back l-later. I'm gonna go."

With that, he promptly rushed towards the common room - the only indication of emotion being his clumsy sprint and cracking voice.

Raven let out a labored sigh as the newly replaced bulb in the hall shattered. She gave it a blank look, before retreating back into her room.

"Could have been worse," she mused to herself as a small smirk played on her lips. She knew it was nothing to be proud of, since what she did was kind of cruel, but the fact that she had stepped so far out of her comfort zone and _only _broke one light bulb was quite the accomplishment.

Plus, she now knew how to get some genuine emotion out of her green teammate.

As her smirk blossomed into a full-blown smile, she quickly changed into an outfit that was a little more "dinner appropriate".

* * *

Dinner was a tad more awkward than she had anticipated. The piercing gaze Starfire directed towards her was a sure indicator that the alien would be requesting a bout of girl-talk, while the devious smirk on the half-robot's lips let her know that he was up to no good. As usual, Robin's face remained passive, aside from the lingering looks he gave Starfire.

But Beast Boy - oh, he was acting far stranger than usual.

Raven's first clue was the fact that he had tried to switch seats with Cyborg, so that he wouldn't be sitting directly beside her. She wasn't necessarily offended by this, but the arch of Robin's brow made her a little uncomfortable. Either the boy wonder was putting the pieces together, or assuming that they were in another fight.

The second thing to clue Raven in on the changeling's behavioral shift was the way he purposefully kept to subjects that she had no interest in discussing. Video games, workout regimens, and alien cuisine were topics that Raven wasn't too knowledgeable in, nor very fond of, so she had kept her opinions to herself as the rest of her team conversed. She wasn't completely silent, and had offered a few hums of agreement here and there, but for the most part, she stayed quiet and observed the green teen.

Which led to the third clue; every time Raven so much as shifted in her seat, Beast Boy would flinch. If she'd reach for her cup, he would recoil from his own. If she turned towards him to talk to Cyborg at the head of the table, he'd shove something in his mouth and stare directly at his plate.

She felt an odd sense of joy from having such an effect on him, but her expression remained blank. If she showed any indication that she was actually enjoying his strange behavior, he'd most likely retaliate by being extra annoying - though she still probably wouldn't mind the attention. After all, she was kind of striving for it.

Raven waited until Beast Boy was distracted by something Cyborg said as she again reached for her cup. Their hands brushed ever so slightly, electing a very noticeable jump from the changeling as he flinched away from her.

The table went silent as everyone's eyes directed to their blushing teammate.

"I don't bite, Beast Boy," Raven deadpanned, before taking a sip of her drink and setting it back down.

The green teen merely shrugged sheepishly as an awkward laugh escaped his lips. "S-sorry - you just kinda... surprised me."

He had kept his eyes glued to his plate as he replied, which ticked Raven off a bit. The least he could do would be to look at her - he had been doing plenty of that earlier.

Though now she _was _wearing pants.

"Do I do that often?"

Beast Boy's head whipped towards her so fast, she was actually concerned that he had given himself whip-lash.

"_Huh?!_" he squeaked as his face burned even brighter.

Raven felt her own cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she realized that the rest of her team was still at the table. She slowly ate a bite of her pasta, before turning her attention back to the changeling.

"Surprise you," she answered simply.

Again, Beast Boy blushed so hard, he resembled a Christmas ornament. There wasn't a doubt in Raven's mind that he was picturing their earlier incident together. She only hoped the others would remain clueless, without assuming anything embarrassing.

Beast Boy made a strange croaking sound in reply, which earned a snort of amusement from Cyborg and fueled Starfire and Robin's curiosity as both their heads tilted to the side. Raven knew she was pushing it - especially with the whole team eyeing them suspiciously - but she was really hoping to embarrass some more emotions out of him.

But instead of answering her, Beast Boy abruptly stood from the table.

"I think I'm gonna hit the hay," he announced awkwardly as he backed away from the team.

Raven turned her head to watch him leave, letting her stare linger as the doors shut behind him.

"Damn, Rae! What the hell did you do to the poor guy?"

Raven tried to keep herself from blushing as she directed her sights to the robotic titan at the head of the table.

"What makes you think _I _did something?" she snapped, not at all in the mood for Cyborg's teasing; _especially _if it was in front of Starfire and Robin.

Cyborg's lips twitched slightly, and Raven had no doubt that he was suppressing a smirk.

"Well, you're the only person who can scare the living daylights outta the grass stain, so I just assumed..." he trailed of suggestively as he ate a large forkful of spaghetti.

Raven tried no to glare at him as Robin cleared his throat from the other end of the table.

"Uhm, not that it's any of my business, but Cy's right," he began as he straightened in his seat. "So, uh, what _did _you do?"

Raven's eyes darted from Robin's mask to Cyborg's gleeful stare, before settling on the understanding look Starfire was giving her from across the table.

"You know what, guys," she began slowly, trying to keep her irritation in check, "you're absolutely right."

Both the boys leaned in closer to her, eagerly awaiting her answer.

Raven merely took another sip of her water, before setting the cup down forcefully, and earning a jump of surprise from her table mates.

"It _is _none of your business," she seethed.

With that, she quickly stood from the table and made her way towards the exit. As the doors hissed open to allow her through, she looked over her shoulder one last time and quickly made eye contact with the alien.

"If you don't mind, Starfire, I'd... like to have a word with you when you're finished with your dinner."

Starfire nodded timidly, before the doors hissed shut.

* * *

Do any of you guys completely over-analyze your dreams? Like, I honestly over-analyze everything, but with my dreams I go waaaay overboard with trying to interpret them. And they're always so freaking weird! Like, I have so many dreams where I'm pregnant (scary!) or driving (which is terrifying, since I'm a horrible driver and don't even have my license yet) or being chased by dinosaurs (which is equally terrifying - maybe more so), and I'll go online and try to figure it out and it's like "Oh, you're afraid of change and are unhappy with your job" and I'm like ooooor I scared of getting eaten!

Anyways, so it looks like Rae-Rae's trying a new approach with BB, though she isn't getting the response she wants. Maybe a nice bout of girl-talk with Starfire will help her out? And poor BB - he's probably hopelessly confused!

Leave a review? Oh! And this has passed 400 reviews and 200 follows, as well as 150 favorites! That's so amazing! Thank you!


	35. A Challenge

I sincerely hope that my denial of owning the Teen Titans has been made clear.

* * *

Raven could feel Starfire's excitement and anxiety approaching before the alien had even knocked on her door. Exhaling slowly through her nose, the empath used her powers to slide the door open, revealing the floating redhead.

"You have requested my presence?"

Raven nodded stoically as she motioned for her friend to join her on her bed.

With a brilliant smile, Starfire swiftly made her way into the pale girl's room, before plopping unceremoniously onto the bed. Raven released her hold on the door, and let out another sigh as it hissed closed.

She could feel Starfire's gaze probing into the side of her head as she re-positioned herself to face her teammate. Keeping her eyes glued to her hands, Raven tried to bring up the topic delicately - after all, once the alien learned that this was indeed _girl-talk, _about _boys _and _crushes _no less, she was bound to defy gravity and hit the ceiling.

"Starfire," she began slowly, keeping her voice level and her expression blank, "we... we are friends, right?"

She glanced up quickly, only to see a look of outrage adorning the alien's usual pretty features.

"Raven!" she gasped, undoubtedly appalled by the pale girl's question. "Is it even necessary to ask such a foolish question? Why, infants on my planet are able to identify the characteristics of true friendship, and yet you felt compelled to ask such a thing?!"

Raven opened her mouth to elaborate, but it seemed Starfire was on a roll.

"I have never heard such idiocy come from your mouth! Are you truly an empath? For one would think you could do the sensing of my feelings towards you, and know that we are, how you say, the BFFs!"

Again, Raven tried to speak, but the redhead wasn't finished.

"We have been through the thickness and the thin, and yet you do not know the stance of our relationship? I consider you _more _than a friend, for you are now a _sister _to me, Raven! Have you been unaware of the growing bond between us over the years?"

Sensing her cue to finally speak, Raven quickly tried to make amends. "Of course I've been aware, Starfire," she insisted, placing her hand on the alien's knee to perpetuate a sense of comfort. "I hadn't meant anything by that, honestly. I've never really initiated one of our girl-talks before, so I was only going off of what I had seen in movies, and - "

"Oh!" the alien suddenly gasped, interrupting the half-demon's explanation. "This _is, _indeed, the girl-talk?!"

Raven felt her lips twitch as she tried not to scowl. "Yes."

"Glorious!" Starfire cried, clapping her hands before her.

Raven tried to remain calm as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Both girls knew that Raven wasn't one to _talk _about her problems, so Starfire's excitement was warranted - despite being unwanted. Like the alien had said, they were best friends - sisters, even - though Raven felt that Starfire still didn't grasp the concept of how Raven's mind worked.

"Will we be discussing your romantic interest in our fellow teammate, Beast Boy?"

Okay, maybe she grasped a _bit. _

Raven opened her eyes in shock as she stared at her friend. Had she _really _been that obvious with her crush?

"Y-you _know?!_"

Starfire's lips merely curled into a knowing smile as she nodded her head.

Raven couldn't believe this - Starfire _knew? _How the hell was that even possible? She had gone out of her way to maintain her usual relationship with Beast Boy while in the presence of the others, and despite a few minor slip-ups here and there (like at dinner, for example), she had thought she'd been doing a spectacular job.

But apparently not.

"H-how long..?" Raven couldn't even bring herself to speak in complete sentences as she cupped her mouth in horror.

Again, Starfire wore a look of understanding. "I had not been certain, until you confirmed it moments ago," she admitted with a shrug, before reaching towards Raven's hand and gently removing it from the empath's face. "But I had been doing the suspecting."

Raven nodded absently as the alien's words sunk in. So Starfire _hadn't _been sure, which meant Raven's secret wasn't _completely _exposed. But she had _suspected _it, as did Cyborg; and after the little show at dinner, she could probably add Robin to the list as well.

"What made you... think... that?" she stammered, still feeling unusually flustered at the idea of her _feelings _being broadcasted to all of the titans.

But with that thought, she felt her mouth gape open in horror. Did _Beast Boy _know, too? Was that why he had been acting so strange with her?

_Because he knows, and he doesn't feel the same?_

Before her mind could dwell further on the thought, Starfire began speaking.

"Well, I had figured it was only a matter of the time before his unwavering kindness towards you caused more than just the annoyance," she admitted sweetly, playing with a strand of her long hair. "If a boy with such a large heart and eyes so beautiful had done the same to me, I, too, would have been doing the crushing."

Raven knew the alien's words were meant to be comforting, but the fact that Starfire had described Beast Boy in such a way made her a little nervous. Though she knew that the girl only felt friendship for the changeling, the fact that she was aware of his charming qualities didn't sit well with the empath. Raven figured that if she wanted, Starfire could get any guy with the snap of her fingers. And, unfortunately, Beast Boy _did _qualify as a guy.

Pushing aside her jealousy, Raven continued to listen as Starfire went on.

"Also, I had done the noticing of your prolonged gazing at him, as well as the slight shift in your usual, chilled demeanor."

Raven nodded slowly, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as she imagined how obvious she must have been.

"And the fact of which you have been doing a lot of _that _in his presence," the alien smirked, gesturing to the empath's flushed appearance.

"Oh Azar," she squeaked, feeling a new bout of heat rush to her face.

"But, I presume we are here to discuss his mutual attraction towards you, which you are undoubtedly wanting to speak of."

At this, Raven felt her eyes grow even wider, if that were possible.

"Y-you say that like it's a fact," she deadpanned, attempting to squash down the feeling of hope welling in her chest.

Starfire cocked her head to the side curiously. "Is it not?"

Raven chanted her mantra in her head as she folded her hands in her lap and directed her sights to her own legs. She idly noted that the seams in her leggings were wearing, and put investing in a new pair onto her mental to-do list. Right after drowning in her own mortification and sorrow.

"He... I mean..." she began quietly, unsure of how to answer the redhead's question. In all honesty, Beast Boy's feelings were now a total mystery, despite the fact that she had been leaning towards him returning her affection.

Starfire must have sensed her inner turmoil, for an orange hand was suddenly obscuring Raven's view as it gently tipped her chin up, so that she was again eye-level with her teammate.

"I am sorry," the alien began quizzically, removing her hand, "but I fear I do not understand. Are you _not _able to decipher his feelings with your empathetic abilities?"

_I have no idea, _Raven answered mentally to herself, before shaking her head in reply.

Starfire's eyebrows knitted together as she digested this new information. "So, you are unaware of his returned feelings of affection, yes?"

This time it was Raven's turn to cock her head to the side. "You really believe he likes me back?" she whispered shyly.

A slow, unnervingly joyful grin spread across the alien's face. "Without the doubt, friend."

Raven swallowed nervously as she shifted on the bed. "Why do you believe that?"

Again, the look of joy on Starfire's face sent a wary chill through Raven's bones.

"There are many of the reasons!" the redhead laughed, before bringing her finger to her chin and tapping it thoughtfully. "Hmm, for example - his _own _prolonged gazes directed towards you, along with his eagerness to spend time with you. Also, the way he seems physically unable to restrain himself from being near you, coupled with his protectiveness of you, as well as his desire to bring you joy and see you smile."_  
_

Raven suppressed a small smile as she waited for the alien to continue.

"And I have done the noticing of the way he seeks comfort in you, and the way his face does the lighting of the up when you seek the same in him. You mean very much to him, Raven. I have never seen him do the caring for anyone more than he does for you."

Raven wanted to thank Starfire for the assurance, but instead, something she hadn't even dared to _think _about popped out of her mouth instead.

"More than he cared for Terra?"

If Raven were the type to smack her hand over her mouth in embarrassment, she was sure all of Jump City would have heard the slapping sound. But instead, she kept both her hands tangled in her lap as her expression remained blank.

The mention of their former teammate seemed to dampen Starfire's mood as she regarded Raven carefully.

"I believe Beast Boy had done a lot of caring for... Terra," she started, her green eyes directing towards her own lap, "and had she not betrayed us, he would have continued to care for her."

Raven nodded slowly in understanding as she tried to convince herself that the stinging behind her eyes were _not_, in fact, _tears. _

"But," Starfire continued, her voice regaining its usual confidence, "I also believe he would have grown bored with their similarities, and would only care for her in the same way he cares for me: as a sister. For Beast Boy has always liked a challenge, and you, Raven, have been nothing less of one."

Raven decided not to fight the smirk that played on her lips as she soaked in Starfire's words. She couldn't help but believe (as well as hope) that the alien's words rang true. Sure, Beast Boy had really liked Terra, but Raven had also really liked Malchior, and yet his betrayal completely wiped away any ounce of sympathy for him. And despite being total opposites, Raven knew Beast Boy must have felt similarly with Terra's betrayal. There wasn't a doubt in Raven's mind that the changeling would (and probably did) forgive the blonde, but the geomancer could no longer expect anything _more _than forgiveness from the green teen. And even if Terra had remained a loyal titan, Raven felt Starfire's beliefs were true - _both _of them would probably have gotten bored with each other, and regress back to being _just _friends.

And then Beast Boy would undoubtedly return to his usual antics of annoying the hell out of the half-demon.

Because Starfire was right - Beast Boy _loved _a challenge. And he definitely would find that with Raven.

* * *

Guuuurl-talk! Holla! Lol

So in case any of y'all are wondering, I HATE Terra. Like, so, soooo much. But I don't want to flat-out bash her and act as if BB never felt anything for her. But I also believe they were way too similar, and BB is someone who gets bored easily. Plus, I felt like his puppy-love crush wasn't mutual. Terra seemed like she wanted BB as _just _a _friend,_ and was really conflicted in betraying his _friendship._ She also seemed a little uncomfortable with his advances, though she eventually gave him a shot. But Idk, I usually avoid watching episodes involving her, and haven't seen them in like a decade. Lol

Anywhoo, I figure you guys were probably expecting BB's POV this chapter, but I felt I needed to get the girl-talk out of the way. So next chapter will deal with his reaction to Raven's... unusual behavior!

Stick around! And maybe leave a review? ;P


	36. Never Ever

I'll probably never, ever, evereverever own the Teen Titans :(

* * *

Beast Boy could just tell it was going to be a bad day. He had known since the day before, when Raven had decided to open her door in the midst of changing. He had barely talked himself into getting her for dinner, since he didn't want her to wonder why he would suddenly stop, but then all of a sudden she decided to do the unthinkable. And he was really regretting his decision now.

Why the hell would she answer her door like _that? _Wasn't she _Raven_, the no-nonsense, impeccably mannered half-demon? Not some teenaged girl with less-than-decent dressing habits who thrived off of torturing the poor green superhero - well, actually, the torturing him part was accurate, but not the rest. The Raven _he _knew would never, ever, _evereverever _answer her door, clad in nothing but a shirt. _His _shirt. _  
_

Beast Boy swallowed a lump in his throat, realizing that despite being scared to death by her random act of whatever-the-hell-that-was, he was probably never going to wash that shirt again. That is, if she ever decided to give it back to him without turning it into some kind of strip-tease.

He rubbed his hands together awkwardly as he stared at the underside of his top bunk. He knew that Cyborg was bound to "wake him up" soon, since it was nearing noon, but the changeling couldn't find the strength to crawl out of bed and face the day.

And face _Raven. _

_What the hell was that all about?! _What gave her the sudden urge to drive him insane? He knew she enjoyed inflicting pain on him, but this was taking it to a whole new level. She was no longer teasing him; she was _teasing _him. Like, in a flirty, _look-at-me-I'm-so-hot _kind of way. He never expected _Raven _to stoop down to that level to get a rise out of him. That was more of _his _thing.

And yet, there she had been, standing around half-naked with her blank expression, as if she _wasn't __standing around_ _half-naked. _Beast Boy had felt like he was about to be torn in two while his head told him to run, and the rest of him...

"Ugh!"

Throwing his hands over his face, Beast Boy attempted to rid himself of these troubling thoughts. He knew that Raven hadn't meant anything by it, besides teaching him a lesson in being patient. But it was her fault for causing him all his stress and impatience in the first place! If she didn't have some sick fascination with seeing him squirm, he'd be able to go on with his life. Hell, he probably wouldn't have even _realized _he was crushing on her!_  
_

But of course, she just _had _to go and be all Raven-y and ruin his day and cause him all this torment - because if she didn't, who would? It wasn't like he was a superhero with a slew of villains itching to end him.

_Oh, wait. _

Beast Boy let out a bitter laugh at his analysis of the empath. He was fairly certain she didn't put this much thought into torturing him - hell, she probably rarely thought about him at all. At least, not with that stupid guy she was crushing on preoccupying her brain.

Unless of course, _he _was the stupid guy she was crushing on.

He let out another chuckle at that thought - surely Raven would agree with the first part of that statement.

The sudden knocking on his door pulled him from his musing, and he turned his head towards it lazily.

"Yo, BB! It's almost noon! Get your butt up and come eat something!"

Beast Boy sighed in exasperation as he pulled himself out of bed. He quickly snatched up a random shirt from his floor and gave it a tentative sniff. With a shrug, he pulled it on and made his way to his door.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled as he was greeted by the sight of his best friend.

Cyborg merely crossed his arms over his chest while lifting his human brow.

"Don't lie to me, B. I went out of my way to make you your nasty tofu, and you better eat it."

Beast Boy tilted his head to the side quizzically. "Huh?"

Since when did Cyborg ever _willingly _cook tofu?

The half-robot rolled his human eye as he turned to leave. "It wasn't my idea, grass stain, so don't go and expect this all the time. Rae had just brought it to my attention that you hadn't eaten much last night, and we both figured you were probably hungry."

Beast Boy attempted to keep a neutral expression at Cyborg's explanation, but the giddy feeling welling up inside of him was hard to contain. _Raven _had been worried about him!

His smile almost broke through, until he remember _why _she must have been worried. His abrupt exit at dinner the night before not only left him with an empty stomach; it left his team with a whole lot of unanswered questions.

"You coming?"

Beast Boy glanced up at his companion, who was already half-way down the hall. Realizing he was brooding awkwardly in his doorway, the green teen quickly gave his teammate a smile and caught up.

* * *

"...and perhaps we can get the mani's and the pedi's!"

Beast Boy cringed internally as he eavesdropped on the girls' conversation. Starfire was joyous, as usual, and Raven was passive. As always.

"Or we can let our natural beauty shine through," Raven replied dully as she continued reading her book. Beast Boy could tell she was reaching her boiling point as he focused on the way her grip tightened on her book. Starfire was, of course, oblivious to her friend's disinterest as she continued with their one-sided conversation.

A conversation that reminded Beast Boy of the upcoming charity ball. The one that he was going to. With Raven. As his date.

The one that was tomorrow.

He swallowed nervously as he directed his attention back to the video game before him. Cyborg had taken the lead at the start, and Beast Boy's wandering attention had caused his own car to fall into last place, with almost no hope of redeeming himself. It was a loss of epic proportions, that his dutiful best friend would surely remind him of for weeks.

Injury would be added to insult, as well, since Raven would be a witness to it. And he wasn't sure if his ego could take it.

_Damn it, _he thought bitterly as he rolled his shoulders, his elbow accidentally bumping the empath's. She shot him a quick glare, before her eyes darted back to her book.

He was about to apologize, until a stroke of genius struck him. Fending off a devious grin, Beast Boy pretended not to notice as he bumped her elbow again. He made as if he were just getting into the game as he leaned forward slightly, before lurching to his left and knocking the book from Raven's hands.

"Watch it," she growled, scooting a few feet away from him.

Beast Boy merely grunted in acknowledgement as he continued to "focus" on his game.

Waiting until she reopened her book, the changeling started to close the space between him with as much nonchalance as he could muster. He could tell she noticed as he watched her stiffen from the corner of his eye, and he prayed that she would think it was unintentional. After all, he was never this (purposefully) intrusive when he played his games, for fear that his antics would cause Raven to pull out the power cord with her powers. But that was exactly what he was hoping for, since his looming defeat would be all kinds of embarrassing.

Once the few feet between them became a few inches, Beast Boy made another obnoxious jerk to his left, and was successful at knocking her book out of her hands, again.

"Are you serious right now!" Raven fumed, fixing him with a fierce glare.

Beast Boy scoffed incredulously as his eyes remained glued to the screen. "Not now, Rae - I'm in the middle of something!"

He could practically feel her glare drilling through his temple as the screen suddenly went black.

"What the hell! Raven! What'd you do that for?"

"Awe, no way man! I was winning! The hell, Rae?"

Beast Boy tried to suppress a smile as Raven continued to glare at him. He could feel the couch shift as the robotic titan beside him got up, muttering about outlets.

"You know exactly what that was for, Beast Boy," the half-demon hissed, her eyes narrowing in irritation.

Beast Boy graced her with one of his signature smiles as he turned to face her.

"What, you just wanted my attention?" he laughed, attempting to fight his urge to blush. He had avoided not embarrassing himself in front of Raven, but inadvertently caused himself to have to _talk _to her. And despite her normal behavior so far, he was still a little wary of her.

She opened her mouth, no doubt intending to say something that would wipe the smirk off of his face, but the alien beside her jammed her elbow into her ribs in a not-so-discreet kind of way.

Beast Boy watched in awe as Raven closed her mouth and turned away from him.

"Please refrain from acting out your video game next time," she deadpanned awkwardly as she reopened her book.

Beast Boy cocked his head to the side in amazement. Somehow, Starfire had gotten Raven to be civil with him, even after _he _was the one to instigate a fight. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had a feeling that he would like it.

"Sure thing, Rae," he replied with a small smile.

* * *

Yep, he was _really _liking it. Despite his earlier prediction of having a bad day, Beast Boy found himself enjoying his time as he watched Raven and Starfire flip through some of the alien's girly magazines. They were discussing possible hairdos for the event tomorrow, and the green teen couldn't help but stare at the empath's purple locks. Sure, she had kept her hair cut in the same style for the past couple of years, but it _was _a tad bit longer, so he couldn't help but imagine running his fingers through it as they danced together.

Well, if he could work up the courage. And if she hadn't been serious about the no-dancing thing.

Regardless, he pleaded silently that she wouldn't opt for an up-do.

Raven shifted slightly in her seat, and Beast Boy quickly tore his eyes away from her. The girls had already questioned his motives for being on the roof with them, and he had conjured up the lame excuse of wanting some fresh air as he read his comic books.

Starfire had seemed satisfied with his logic as her attention returned to her magazine, but Raven's amethyst eyes lingered on him suspiciously. That is until the alien had again elbowed her.

He wasn't sure why, but Starfire seemed adamant on keeping Raven from bickering with Beast Boy. And what confused him even more was the fact that Raven had been complying.

Chancing another glance at the empath, Beast Boy let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't noticed his stare apparently, since her eyes remained focused on the magazine and his butt remained planted on the rooftop. He knew he was pushing his luck by sticking around, but Raven's strange behavior from today, coupled with her even _stranger _behavior from yesterday, had him intrigued - as well as a little scared.

But something about her sudden break from character made him feel as though she was silently answering his unspoken question.

Maybe he _was _her mystery crush.

He felt his heart leap as she suddenly looked over at him, before her eyes darted away and a faint blush kissed her cheeks. Keeping his emotions muted, he slowly returned his own gaze back to his comic book and suppressed a small smile.

Maybe _maybe _wasn't part of the equation.

* * *

So obviously BB is confused by (and wary of) Raven's strange behavior, but his nosy nature won't allow him to _not _try to figure out what is going on. Even if it costs him his dignity. Or his life. It also seems as though Starfire was right when she said that the changeling was unable to restrain himself from being near Rae-Rae. How cute!

I realize I haven't been updating as frequently, and that is due to the fact that my days off of work are finally coinciding with my friends' days off! Meaning I'm having a social life for once! Lmao

I promise I'll try to use my free time to write and _not _watch Netflix, and I will attempt to update my other stories here in the near future. Hopefully.

Anywhoo, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review if you want - they're always appreciated!


	37. Magazines

I would sell my soul for the rights to the Teen Titans. Maybe.

* * *

Raven let out a frustrated sigh as she attempted to focus on the trashy tabloid in front of her. She was really regretting ever agreeing to "do the hanging of the out" with Starfire. Apparently, what constituted as fun for the alien consisted of admiring the photo-shopped pictures of over-rated celebrities.

"Oh! It is the doppel of your ganger, Raven!"

The empath blinked in confusion as she translated the redhead's words into English. "My doppelganger?"

Starfire nodded her head animatedly as she pointed to the dark-haired actress on the cover of one of the many magazines. Raven knitted her brows together thoughtfully as she inspected the woman's appearance. Despite having denied it days earlier, Raven _could _see a slight resemblance between her and Cyborg's former celebrity crush (Robin's ill-timed discovery of the resemblance had caused Cyborg to shudder uncomfortably anytime he now saw the girl).

Yes, Raven could acknowledge (to herself) that she _did _look a bit like the A-lister. Though she'd still stand by her opinion that Ms. Jergens was much prettier.

"Maybe I should suggest to Robin some mandatory eye exams, because it seems as though you all have gone blind."

Starfire merely giggled as she began flipping through the magazine, before gasping in delight.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as her slender, orange finger pointed to a picture of a blonde actress. "Is that style of hair not most glorious!"

Raven tucked her own hair behind her ear and leaned closer to get a better look. The actress was very pretty, as was her elegant up-do. It was braided at the crown, while the rest of it was tucked to the side in a chiffon bun. A few stray pieces framed the woman's face, giving the whole look a very natural, effortless feel. Raven felt a pang of envy shoot through her when she realized that the style would look absolutely gorgeous on her already stunning teammate.

In an attempt to distract herself, she looked up for a moment, only to be reminded that the changeling was also enjoying some leisurely time on the rooftop. She held back a small smirk as she watched him lazily browse through his comic books. Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she redirected her gaze to the picture of the actress.

"It's stunning, Star. You should definitely do that," she replied with a subdued smile.

The alien grinned cheerfully as she bookmarked the page, and Raven let out a small sigh, before her eyes drifted back to her green teammate.

She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as their gazes locked, and she quickly looked away. She could sense a content feeling radiating from Beast Boy, as well as a sudden wave of excitement. Suppressing another smirk, she wondered idly if he had been thinking about her. She wouldn't be surprised if he was; after confessing her crush to Starfire, the alien had been going out of her way to keep the two of them from fighting, since she believed their bantering would never lead to "the romance". Raven had to scold herself silently to keep from laughing out loud at the redhead's logic.

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards regardless as she turned the page of her magazine. Starfire shifted slightly beside her, before letting out a weary sigh.

"Well, I do not wish to do the ditching, but the nature is calling." Starfire punctuated her sentence with a curt nod as she brought herself to her feet. She then cleared her throat awkwardly, before leaning down to whisper, "I believe that is how one politely excuses themselves to use the lavatories, am I correct?"

Raven snorted in amusement at how clueless her alien teammate could be. Her mind grudgingly added _adorably naïve _to the ever-growing list of comparisons between them. She knew it was unhealthy, but a small part of her mind (most likely consisting of her more subdued emotions) had a habit of remembering all the reasons to be envious of the redhead.

"That's one way to put it," Raven smirked.

Starfire smiled brilliantly, before flying over to the roof's entrance. "I shall return shortly!"

Raven watched as the alien's ever-flowing hair descended through the door and down the stairs, before she let out an exasperated groan. The upcoming ball was just a constant reminder of how dull she was compared to her prettier teammate. It also served as an excellent way to drain any ounce of self-esteem she may have had - at least when it came to her appearance. Honestly, the only upside was the fact that Beast Boy was her date.

With that in mind, she turned her head to catch another glimpse of her green teammate, but found that the spot he was occupying was now empty. Her brows arched in confusion at his sudden disappearance - he hadn't gone back down, since she would have seen him. Perhaps he had just flown away? Or maybe he -

"Whatcha doing, Rae?"

- decided to sit down right next to her.

Raven blinked in surprise as she regarded the changeling. He sat cross-legged in Starfire's spot, a cheeky smile on his face as his hands toyed with one of the magazines.

"Just..." Raven began slowly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She was never really one to care too much about her appearance, and she didn't want Beast Boy to think that this kind of stuff was important to her. "Just humoring Starfire," she finished weakly.

Her green teammate nodded absently as he opened the magazine in his hands. He idly flipped through a few pages, before setting it down between them.

"That one," he announced abruptly as his green finger pointed to the middle of the page.

Raven glanced at it, before her eyes returned to Beast Boy. "Seriously?" she deadpanned.

Another cheeky grin consumed the changeling's face in reply.

Her eyes darted back to the page skeptically. The picture in question was actually of her and Starfire, adorned in their regular, superhero attire. The magazine had written a short article on the two heroines, much to Starfire's delight. She had deemed the whole thing "a most joyful experience", and had coveted several issues of the magazine as "the reminding token". Raven had simply put the occasion in the recesses of her mind, for her experience was less joyful. Like she had observed earlier, the magazines were nothing but trashy tabloids, catering to the beautiful. Starfire, being the definition of gorgeous, was treated like a queen on the set of their little photo shoot. They had waited on her hand and foot, while treating Raven like the alien's assistant. Sure, Raven's tea was made to her exact specifications, and her chair was no less comfortable than Starfire's, but she could _sense _the discrimination. One brave soul had even made the claim that the empath was a _diva _- though the mouthy brunette had apologized after a verbal-lashing, courtesy of Robin, who had tagged along (at Starfire's request).

Irregardless, Raven did not enjoy her time. Nor did she care for the picture they had chosen for the article. Starfire was, of course, flawless; her orange skin practically glowing through the picture, and her perfect red hair shining brilliantly, along with her smile. Raven, on the other hand, looked rather pissed - though her face at rest tended to look that way. But still, it wasn't the most flattering picture - especially with the way her hair had been that day.

Which lead the empath to ask herself a befuddling question: _Why the hell would Beast Boy suggest _that?!

Her expression must have displayed her confusion, for the changeling was suddenly chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Raven cringed internally at how harsh she sounded, but the unwavering smile on Beast Boy's face assured her that he hadn't been offended.

"You," he smirked, shrugging his shoulders in a way that Raven shouldn't have found cute. Ignoring her more girly responses, Raven narrowed her eyes.

"I don't _do _funny, Beast Boy," she deadpanned. "Care to elaborate?"_  
_

Her green teammate let out a labored sigh as his finger traced along the magazine absently. "I just think it's funny how you claim to hate all this stuff, yet when I suggest that you just keep your hair the same, you look at me like I'm crazy."

Raven berated herself silently for a minute at his valid reason. She had hoped that she wasn't so transparent, but Beast Boy obviously saw right through her act. Sure, appearance wasn't at the top of her priorities, but it still made the list. She was, after all, a teenaged girl. Her self-esteem tied in with how others viewed her, and always being compared to a girl like Starfire really took its toll.

"It's different," she supplied lamely, knowing that her teammate wouldn't buy in to her excuse.

"How so?"

She wanted to phase through the roof, or maybe blast him into the bay - anything to avoid this conversation. Especially since she could feel his friendly affection pouring off of him and onto her. Usually she'd bask in its warmth, but today she preferred her icy exterior un-melted.

"It just is," she defended weakly. "This is a... _formal_ occasion. And we all have to look our best, and my usual hairdo just won't cut it."

She watched as Beast Boy nodded his head slowly, obviously mulling over her words.

"Well, can I be completely honest right now?" he asked suddenly, his voice taking on a more serious note. Raven could still see the warmth in his green eyes, and wasn't sure whether or not he was actually _being _serious.

"If you must," she replied monotonously.

Beast Boy's hand immediately began rubbing the back of his neck - a sure indicator that he was nervous. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over Raven as well, justifying her assumption. She could feel her own excitement rushing over her skin as she anticipated his words. Could he perhaps be confessing his feelings to her? Seeing her so self-conscious must not be something enjoyable for him, since he thrived on making her smile.

"Well, I-I mean, we've established that you're, uh... pretty," he began shyly, his eyes suddenly avoiding hers. Raven felt the all-too-familiar fluttering in her stomach at the pang of embarrassment that hit her senses as the green teen shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"So, I... I just figured that since you're... you know, pretty," he continued, fumbling over his words in an incredibly endearing, yet slightly frustrating way, "you, uh... you wouldn't need to do much to look good."

He finished his confession with another shrug as his eyes met hers for a moment, before darting away again.

Raven wasn't sure what to say. Sure, it hadn't been the confession she was hoping for, but it helped solidify her suspicions. Beast Boy _had _to feel something more for her than just friendship; there wasn't any other explanation for his timidity and awkwardness. Well, there was, but she didn't want to acknowledge it.

Instead, she focused on all of the signs that pointed to him returning her feelings.

"Thank you," she whispered shyly. It wasn't often she received unprovoked compliments from him. But despite his incredibly flattering explanation, Raven knew that her limp, pin-straight hair wouldn't make the cut. "But I still need to do something different with my hair. It _is _a special occasion, after all."

Thankfully, Beast Boy accepted her reasoning with a defeated sigh. "Alright, Rae - you're the girl. You obviously know more about this kinda thing than me!"

Raven smirked at his submission as she returned her sights to the magazine she had been previously looking through. Before Starfire had left for the restroom, the empath had found a style that could possibly work. It was simple enough for her to do herself, but still incredibly elegant. She was going to wait for the alien's approval, but seeing how her date was conveniently beside her, she decided to ask his opinion instead.

"What do you think of this one?"

His surprise was shown clearly on his face as his eyes widened slightly. It wasn't often that Raven asked his opinion, so she wasn't offended by his reaction. His eyes scanned over the picture she was pointing to quickly, before a subdued smile crept onto his face.

"That one's nice, Rae."

* * *

Cutesy-bonding is cute! And a stuttering BB is cute! And a flattered Raven is cute! And a litter of fluffy kittens is cute!

I hope this chapter was cute! Cute enough for a review, even! I mean, dudes! We're almost to 500! That's insane!


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